Jenner & Block Partners Debbie L. Berman and April A. Otterberg and Associate Miriam J. (M.J.) Wayne have authored the fourth edition of Understanding and Litigating Trade Secrets, which analyzes the complex and growing body of Illinois and federal statutory and decisional case law addressing the protection of confidential and trade secret information. The outline also provides practical suggestions for counseling clients and defending or prosecuting trade secret misappropriation claims, including in-depth discussions of the varied substantive and procedural issues that arise in trade secret litigation.
Since the first edition of this outline was published in 2009 and the second and third editions were published in 2014 and 2017, case law addressing the protection of confidential and trade secret information has continued to develop, especially with the advent of the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016. In addition to case law updates through the outline, this fourth edition contains a new and comprehensive summary of the developing law under the federal Act, an updated 50-state survey of the law on the inevitable disclosure doctrine, and a discussion of the evolving Illinois jurisprudence and laws concerning restrictive covenants in employment relationships.
Although Illinois law remains the focus of this outline, it is useful to anyone working to protect trade secrets or litigating a trade secret matter. The law in many U.S. jurisdictions reflects concepts similar to those found in Illinois, and the "practice tips" included throughout the outline provide useful ideas no matter the applicable law.
Associates Daniel S. McCord, Andrew J. Plague, Connor S. W. Rubin, and Abraham M. Salander served as contributing authors to the publication.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
