TMCnet News
Pacific Surf Designs, Inc. Awarded $145,459.18 in Attorneys Fees from Recent Appellate Court Victory Over Whitewater West Industries, Ltd., Owner of Flowrider, Inc.
[December 31, 2020]
Pacific Surf Designs, Inc. Awarded $145,459.18 in Attorneys Fees from Recent Appellate Court Victory Over Whitewater West Industries, Ltd., Owner of Flowrider, Inc.
Pacific Surf Designs, Inc. ( PSD ), the premier custom-designed surf simulator company, was awarded
$145,459.18 in attorneys fees today from Whitewater West Industries, Ltd. ( Whitewater ), owner of Flowrider, Inc. and part owner of Murphy s Waves, Ltd. The fees award in this instance was only for the portion of attorneys fees stemming from the appeal filed with the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which the appellate court ruled unanimously in favor of PSD on November 19, 2020 over a contractual dispute.
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Employment Law and Patent Law Collide: Federal Circuit Rules that California’s Non-Compete Restrictions Also Limit the Scope of Patent and Invention Assignment Clauses Tuesday, December 15, 2020
California is well known for its broad restrictions relating to non-competition clauses applicable to workers. After a recent decision by the Federal Circuit, such notoriety may extend to the patent realm. Employers should beware to not fall into this employment agreement trap.
In what it characterized as an issue not previously addressed by California’s appellate courts, in
Whitewater West Industries v. Alleshouse, No. 2019-1852 (Fed. Cir. Nov. 19, 2020), the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that that California state law not only restricts non-competition provisions in employment agreements, but also prohibits certain provisions related to invention assignment. Specifically, employment agreement provisions requiring the assignment of invention