Ah, October: the time of crisp fall air, brightly colored
leaves, and pumpkin spice-flavored everything. And, of course, the
World Series quest that can unite a city—or, in the case of
Orrick's San Francisco and Washington, D.C. offices, give rise
to a friendly wager (sorry, D.C.!). In honor of the baseball
playoffs, we take a look at some trade secret issues related to our
national pastime.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Or on second thought, let's stay in and watch it on
television. A lucrative television contract with a professional
sports team is worth fighting over—just ask Fox Sports Net
North (successor to Midwest Sports Cable) and the Minnesota Twins.
When MSC's former general manager became the Twins' Chief
Operating Officer in 2000, he looked into switching the Twins'
television deal. Fox did not take too kindly to these efforts, and
sued for misappropriation of trade secrets,
among other claims. The Eight Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the
