Protecting Confidential Information From Misuse and Misappropriation
At its best, competition forces businesses to innovate and improve their products and services. If a business cannot protect its confidential information from competitors, however, it cannot earn returns on its efforts to innovate. The law of unfair competition provides legal remedies for businesses whose operating documents, customer lists, and other types of confidential information have been misappropriated by former employees and competitors.
At Schachter Harris, LLP, our Dallas unfair competition attorneys help businesses in Texas and nationwide protect the fruits of their investments by pursuing claims for breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, and breach of noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements.
Identifying Circumstances in Which Legal Recourse Is Available
Unfair competition is a complex area of law with many subtleties. When these claims are litigated, the courts must balance society´s interest in healthy competition with its interest in the protection of trade secrets and other forms of intellectual property. The following are a few examples of circumstances that may give rise to a valid unfair competition claim:
- An employee leaves your business and makes use of confidential information acquired during his or her employment to start a new business that competes with yours.
- A former employee attempts to leverage his or her personal relationships with your current employees to induce them to leave your business and join a competitor.
- A competitor attempts to induce your current employees, customers or vendors to end their relationships with your business or violate their legal duties toward your business.
Our lawyers understand the law of unfair competition, fiduciary duties, and tortious interference, backed by extensive trial experience. To discuss how we can help your business pursue a claim, please contact us to schedule a consultation.
