Significant developments are likely in 2025 in trade secret law, building on major cases and developments in 2024. We highlight four areas to watch: the extraterritorial reach of the Defend Trade Secrets Act, artificial intelligence, large damages awards and the impacts of a potential noncompete ban.
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This quarter, we continue to highlight the ever-changing state and local employment law landscape. New state laws that took effect during the fourth quarter of 2024 or as of January 1, 2025, continue to focus on increasing employee protections in Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
To view the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.
Airlines for America filed a complaint seeking a declaratory judgment and injunctive relief against the Minnesota Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry, holding that Minnesota’s earned sick and safe time (ESST) law is preempted by federal laws applicable to the airline industry. The asserted negative impacts of the recent change in Minnesota’s ESST law are not limited to airline industry employers, as all Minnesota employers covered by the ESST law must comply with its requirements.
To view the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.
Without a doubt, 2024 was a roller coaster of a year for employers in the area of noncompete law, from an FTC attempted nationwide ban on most noncompete agreements, to continued state law action seeking to narrow the use of noncompete provisions, to a growing number of court decisions revealing deep frustration by judges asked to enforce overbroad post-employment restrictions. Employers looking to protect confidential information and customer goodwill through the use of noncompetition or nonsolicitation provisions should stay abreast of state law developments and review existing agreements to ensure they are narrowly tailored to address judicially recognized protectable interests.
To view the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.
The ETA will apply to visitors from visa-exempt countries, requiring them to obtain permission to travel to the UK for short-term stays (up to six months). Individuals who are planning to travel to the UK must confirm whether they need an ETA based on their travel purpose and immigration status, and if needed, apply for and have approved an ETA application before they travel, to ensure compliance with UK entry requirements.
To view the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker ebsite.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has received enough petitions to meet the annual numerical allocation of 85,000 H-1B visas for fiscal year 2025, which includes 65,000 regular and 20,000 U.S. advanced-degree cap petitions. The FY 2025 registration process was the first under USCIS’s new beneficiary-centric process, in which registrations were selected by unique beneficiary rather than by number of submitted registrations.
To view the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.