For better or for worse, virtual civil trials—a product necessitated by the pandemic—are likely here to stay. Proponents of virtual civil trials laud the virtual format, in part because it provides participants with opportunities for greater engagement. For example, jurors might be able to see and hear evidence better via their computer screens and headphones than they would in the courtroom. But litigants should beware that jurors are not the only ones with increased courtroom access.
Continue Reading Virtual Trials Increase Courtroom Access but Also Risk Trade Secret Disclosures
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Remember Your Clients, Remember Your Contracts
The U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota recently denied a former employer’s motion for a preliminary injunction seeking to restrict a former employee’s ability to work for a direct competitor, in part on the grounds that soliciting customers from memory does not constitute statutory misappropriation of trade secrets.
The former employee had resigned…
Motorola Solutions v. Hytera Commc’ns Corp. Ltd.
In an order filed January 8, 2021, the U.S. District Court judge overseeing the case cut Motorola’s $760 million jury award against competitor Hytera Corp. by over $200 million. Judge Charles Norgle of the Northern District of Illinois noted that the he made the decision “[w]ith a cool head and a keen eye.” The court found that the $760 million award included a double recovery for Motorola, in that it improperly awarded Motorola “both the $135.8 million in disgorged profits and the $73.6 million in avoided research and development costs.”
Continue Reading Motorola Solutions v. Hytera Commc’ns Corp. Ltd.