Experienced Oklahoma City Trade Secret Misappropriation And Emergency Injunction Lawyers
If competitors or departing personnel steal proprietary data, your company faces immediate risk. That is why Silverline Legal protects Oklahoma business owners against corporate asset theft. Our partners, Tynia McQuigg, Drew Palmer and Josh Burns, bring more than 50 combined years of legal practice. They have the resources to act decisively in federal and state courts to stop corporate espionage. With our firm, you have direct access to your lawyers without any bureaucratic delays.
Assertive Trade Secret Defense And Enforcement In Oklahoma County
Our intellectual property litigation team can defend your most valuable IP assets through emergency interventions, contract enforcement and risk audits. We defend your market advantage by managing every stage of trade secret enforcement, including:
- Federal and state enforcement: Litigating under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. § 1836) for trade secrets tied to interstate commerce, alongside state-level claims under the Oklahoma Uniform Trade Secrets Act (78 O.S. § 85)
- Emergency restraining orders: Seeking temporary restraining orders (TROs) to stop the use or spread of your confidential information
- Digital forensic preservation: Working with forensic specialists to review digital footprints, metadata and deleted files for evidence
- Proactive risk mitigation: Implementing compliance audits and offboarding protocols to mitigate insider vulnerabilities
Whether responding to an active threat or fortifying your internal controls, we work to keep your core innovations secure and protected under applicable state and federal laws. Learn how our Oklahoma City trade secret attorneys help businesses identify and protect confidential information before a dispute arises.
A Former Employee Took Your Proprietary Data And Joined A Competitor. What Immediate Steps Should You Take?
Working closely with your trade secret attorney, take the following steps:
- Preserve all evidence before anyone alters or deletes digital files
- Immediately revoke the individual’s system credentials and company network access
- Secure all company hardware, including laptops, cellphones and external storage drives
- Do not modify or wipe the former employee’s email account
Contact an Oklahoma trade secret misappropriation attorney right away to prepare an immediate application for injunctive relief.
Are Noncompete Agreements Enforceable Under Oklahoma Law?
Oklahoma law voids most noncompete agreements under 15 O.S. § 217, and under 15 O.S. § 219A a former employee may work for a competitor. However, employers can enforce agreements that bar a former employee from directly soliciting established customers (15 O.S. § 219A) or recruiting employees (15 O.S. § 219B). A reasonable noncompete is also still allowed when someone sells a business (15 O.S. § 218). Our noncompete litigation lawyers in Oklahoma can help enforce lawful restrictive covenants against former employees. We also defend business entities against overreaching nonsolicitation claims filed by competitors.
How Quickly Can You Get A TRO To Stop Trade Secret Disclosure?
Our litigators are prepared to draft and file emergency papers quickly after an insider breach. A TRO can be issued within days, sometimes before a full hearing, when you show that you are likely to succeed on your claims, that you face immediate and irreparable harm that money damages cannot repair, that the balance of harms favors you and that the order would not harm the public interest. We then present evidence at a preliminary injunction hearing to keep that protection in place while the case proceeds. We act fast to preserve evidence of customer list theft and protect your confidential business information.
Seek Prompt Action From Our Oklahoma Trade Secret Misappropriation Attorneys
At Silverline Legal, we act quickly to stop IP misappropriation. If a former employee is soliciting your customers or staff in breach of a nonsolicitation agreement, our lawyers are prepared to act, even on short notice. To schedule your initial consultation, please call us at 405-353-0869 or send us an email.