Protection for Confidential Business Information In a Changing Non-Compete Landscape

Not all proprietary information can be protected by traditional intellectual property regimes such as patents or copyrights, at least not in the long term, so companies must be prepared to employ a variety of other mechanisms to keep their confidential materials from becoming publicly available. For example, employees who have access to proprietary information are often required to sign confidentiality agreements that prohibit the use or disclosure of such information outside the course of their work.

In addition, employees may be required to sign non-compete agreements that restrict their ability to engage in competitive business for some period following the termination of their employment.