Restrictive Covenants in Employment Contracts and Other Mechanisms for Protection of Corporate Confidential Information


Book Description

The idea for this book came about following the International Bar Association's annual conference that was held in Prague in September of 2005. One of the sessions at this conference co-chaired by Pascale Lagesse and Mariann Norrbom was entitled 'Restrictive covenants in employment contracts and other mechanisms for protection of corporate confidential information.' International panelists consisted of members of the legal profession, corporate representatives and a court justice. Discussions focused on key issues and the concerns companies have when seeking to protect their confidential information, and insight was given into what employers can do in order to ensure that their employees do not take valuable company information with them upon leaving the company. Using a case study as a basis, particular emphasis was placed on non-solicitation and non-compete covenants, and the extent to which an employer can rely on such covenants when protecting his interests.The specific situation of a key employee who left her employer to join a competitor was addressed, and the types of action the employer could take in order to avoid the solicitation of his clients and staff and prevent his employees from competing against him were discussed. This book picks up where the session left off, and consists of no less than 13 contributions from individuals from 5 continents. Each country representative has been asked to respond to a series of pertinent questions on the subjects of restrictive covenants and protection of confidential information, in order to give a comparative overview of how these issues are treated in different jurisdictions. This comprehensive publication will be a valuable resource tool for legal practitioners, employers, HR professionals and anyone interested in the field of employment law.




Employment Law Update 2013


Book Description

2013 Employment Law Update analyzes recent developments in caselaw of interest to employment law practitioners representing plaintiffs,defendants, and labor unions and comprehensively covers recent developments inthe rapidly changing employment and labor law field. Comprised of ten chapters- each written by an expert in employment law - this edition provides timely,incisive analysis of critical issues. Employment Law Updateprovides, where appropriate, checklists, forms, and guidance on strategicconsiderations for litigation and other forms of dispute resolution.




Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and the Law


Book Description

The need to regulate access to genetic resources and ensure a fair and equitable sharing of any resulting benefits was at the core of the development of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The CBD established a series of principles and requirements around access and benefit sharing (ABS) in order to increase transparency and equity in the international flow of genetic resources, yet few countries have been able to effectively implement them and ABS negotiations are often paralysed by differing interests. This book not only examines these complex challenges, but offers workable, policy-oriented solutions. International contributors cover theoretical approaches, new significant national legislation, the concept of traditional knowledge, provider and user country measures and common solutions. Exploring specific, salient examples from across the globe, the authors provide lessons for national regulation and the ongoing negotiations for an international ABS regime. Uniquely, this book also looks at the potential for 'horizontal' development of ABS law and policy, applying lessons from bilateral approaches to other national contexts.




Post-Employment Covenants in Employment Relationships


Book Description

This edition of the Comparative Law Yearbook of International Business surveys issues involved in post-employment employer-employee relations and the ability of employers to control the conduct of a former employee. The survey’s introductory chapter provides a general review of issues in the context of multiple jurisdictions, followed by countryby-country analyses of 17 jurisdictions, encompassing reports on Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, the Slovak Republic, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.




Corporate Social Responsibility – Sustainable Business


Book Description

In a dramatic departure from its voluntary origins, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is rapidly shifting to hold multinational companies accountable for more than traditional shareholder performance. This CSR movement is embracing new environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks that both promote global sustainability goals and enhance accountability for negative impacts businesses can have on ‘planet and people’. This collection of essays by leading businesspeople, international civil servants, legal practitioners, academics, and other experts offers a forward-looking and pragmatic perspective that illuminates the major themes in this movement towards increasingly sustainable, transparent and accountable business practices. The collection shows how CSR has evolved to account for societal pressures, environmental, climate change and human rights impacts, international policy imperatives and the practical challenges of regulating commercial activity that transcends borders. The chapters offer an in-depth examination of current issues including: international frameworks and multistakeholder initiatives catalysing foundational change; the shifting emphasis on corporate imperatives to avoid harm to third parties; trends in CSR, focused on assuring the planet's future sustainability and social stability; regulatory initiatives around the globe, including Europe, North America, Asia and Africa; and extended accountability for activities of corporate group members and supply chains. The pressure and business case for companies to incorporate CSR into corporate governance is intensifying with each quarter, shareholder meeting, and regulatory agenda. The integration of CSR and new ESG frameworks into multinational corporate strategy and operations is key to sustainable business models that can generate long-term value for the organization and all stakeholders. Their acceptance as cornerstones of 21st century business practice appears inevitable. Taking full account of the imperative for companies and their lawyers to grapple with the practical and legal challenges in this area, this volume is an invaluable and pragmatic addition to the practitioners’ toolbox at this important juncture in an ever-more dynamic field.




Social Media and Employment Law: An International Survey


Book Description

In the last few years, social media has become the primary way of communicating, not only among friends and colleagues but also between employers and employees and between companies and consumers. For employers, the phenomenon offers great opportunities, but also concomitant dangers due primarily to use of social media by employees and employees' representatives. Written in the context of employment laws as well as privacy laws, this book surveys the state of the law in over thirty key jurisdictions, including most of the developed countries of Europe, Asia, and North America and major developing countries worldwide. The publication arose from a seminar prepared by the editors and others at which it was clearly identified that internationally operating employers need a comprehensive and user-friendly multinational summary on employment and labour law questions arising in connection with the use of social media. The book is divided into country chapters, each written by a known local specialist. In order to easily 'navigate' through the issues for each country, the chapters follow a uniform structure, covering the applicable statutory regimes, case law, useful checklists, and recommendations. Among the issues and topics dealt with are the following: - employees' entitlement to use social media at the workplace; - whether employers can require the use of social media by employees; - right of employers to monitor employees' use of social media outside the workplace; - employers' potential liability for employees' misuse of social media; - right of employee representatives to use employers' equipment for social media purposes; - employers' remedies against misuse of social media by employees and employee representatives; - development and drafting of a social media policy; and - role of social media in employer–employee disputes. No other publication exists providing interested parties with a practical and strategic guide to legal issues affecting the use of social media in the workplace. With its easy-to-use country-by-country format and its expert recommendations, this unique resource will prove itself as an incomparable handbook for lawyers, human resources professionals, and in-house counsel advising or working for internationally operating businesses. It will also be of inestimable value for academics and policymakers concerned with the legal ramifications of social media use in the workplace.




Directors’ Liability: A Worldwide Review


Book Description

This acclaimed reference book for international business lawyers first appeared in 2006, with a second edition in 2010. Now in its third edition, and once again published in conjunction with the International Bar Association, this comparative study of a crucial issue in corporate law gives practitioners a powerful and decisive tool for ascertaining and comparing the law affecting directors’ liability in today’s globalizing economies. Covering nearly fifty jurisdictions worldwide (including eight not previously covered), the third edition affords senior lawyers in major firms the opportunity to provide concise, detailed, and easy-to-understand summaries on his or her home law on directors’ liability. Authors whose research appeared in earlier editions have updated their chapters, and the case law summarized and analysed now reflects published cases through the end of March 2016. The contributions describe the relevant law in force in each particular jurisdiction, along with an insightful discussion of trends and future prospects. For each of the different jurisdictions the authors detail and explain such factors as the following: - national legal theories of director liabilities; - recent cases dealing with directors’ liability; - corporate governance; and - indemnification and insurance. Where applicable, coverage also includes the legal implications of jurisdictional variations in such matters as judicial review, lawyer directorship, directors’ reliance on outside professionals, and the effect of the European Action Plan. References have been thoroughly updated throughout, and include many new online sources. This publication will be of enormous value to legal practitioners, whether in private practice or in the legal department of a globally active company, as a comprehensive and easy means of access to the law of foreign jurisdictions on directors’ liability.




International Contracting


Book Description

For well over a decade, this prized guide has served practitioners handling the legal ramifications of international contracting projects. The fifth edition expands on issues discussed in the earlier one, along with new topics that continue to redefine the researching, drafting, and execution of international contracts. All the invaluable features of earlier editions are of course still here, including analysis of key contract issues unique to various types of contracting, common contract clauses, contract checklists, insights gleaned from actual cases and arbitral proceedings, and clear explanation of the principles of good contract drafting. The major relevant international conventions, model laws, pertinent national laws, legal guides, and other documents and instruments are all covered, with primary texts provided in the appendices. Some of the new issues and topics covered include: new potential causes of force majeure and hardship (pandemics and BREXIT); review of Incoterms 2020; new clauses covered (anti-slavery, exclusion, interpretation, no-waiver, sub-contracting, sustainability clauses, among others); rise of new international commercial courts; legaltech, smart contracts, and artificial intelligence; ethics; implementation of technology in legal practice; enforceability of penalty clauses; Internet sales and agency contracts; long-term contracts and goodwill compensation; data protection and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); alliance, collaboration, and cooperation agreements; noncompete and nonsolicitation clauses; e-mail disclaimers; and separation and release agreements. The book acts as a single-volume reference in the negotiating and drafting of international contracts and offers expert insights regarding the reasonableness of many contract clauses and the likelihood of their enforcement in a foreign jurisdiction. An adroit combination of contract theory and contract practice, the book continues to provide guidance to law practitioners and students alike. “International Contracting is an excellent single volume reference that highlights the different issues relating to a variety of contracts. I recommend it to drafting attorneys writing domestic as well as transborder contracts.” – Christopher E. Howard (complex commercial transactions and development projects), Managing Partner, Pierce Atwood LLP, Portland, Maine “The latest edition of Professor DiMatteo's International Contracting constitutes a broad yet detailed coverage of international contract law and laws, as well as international practice. It drills down into the level of detail that supplies invaluable practical guidance of the sort not to be found in other publications.” – Professor Michael G. Bridge, London School of Economics “International Contracting is an ideal source for practitioners whether of the civil or common law. It also provides a concise review of international contracting issues and practices for the scholar and student interested in this area of law. I highly recommend it as a general resource on the topic.” – Michel Cannarsa, Dean & Professor, Lyon Catholic University




The Legal Protection of Trade Secrets


Book Description

The Legal Protection of Trade Secrets places trade secrets firmly in the context of intellectual property rights and commerce, and considers the complex web of law and policy underlying any decision to protect confidential information from unauthorized disclosure. It considers the position from both the situation of the employer and the employee.