Legal Question in Technology Law in Massachusetts
email law
Is it illegal to forward my work emails to my personal email address, as I sometimes work from home..No company policy that I am aware of??? Now I am being told by the corporate att. that I have violated trade secret laws etc?????
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: email law
I am going to assume you have signed a confidentiality agreement. Without reading it, it is difficult to answer the question. If you have forwarded emails for the sole purpose of working on them for work and no other reason and you have not used these emails and have not violated your company's confidentiality agreement then there is nothing actionable by your acts. It is clear however that the company does not want you to do this so stop it.
If you use the emails for reasons other than your job and in violation of company policies then there could be an issue. IF you work for a Defense contractor, there are a number of other obligations as well, ITAR has specific requirements that could prohibit you from forwarding the email.