In an article published in Intellectual Property
Magazine’s December 2019/January 2020 issue, Julianne Hartzell gave a roundup of trade
secret trends from 2019 and what to expect in 2020.
“In 2019, we saw several continuing trends in the trade
secret space, primarily focused on the eternal balance between
allowing companies to protect their investment in trade secret
information without unnecessarily restricting employees’
choices after leaving. The balance tipped in favor of employees
this year as many states took steps to limit employers’ use
of restrictive covenants, particularly for low wage
employees,” Hartzell said.
This year saw continued legislative activity seeking to limit
restrictive covenants as several states, including Illinois, have
enacted statutes preventing the use of non-competes for low wage
workers.
