Legal Question in Business Law in Washington

Non-compete question. Working with previous supplier to sell to competition?

HELP! - I need advice to a non-compete issue. I'm currently thinking through my options right now. This $350M ''Alpha'' company eliminated my position about a few weeks ago (1/11). They offered a severance package of 3 months along with asking me to sign the severance package letter (basically not to sue them for anything). When I started working for this company in 2005, I signed an NDA and it had a standard paragraph on ''non-compete''. Upon accepting and signing the severance package, they reminded me again of the NDA agreement I had signed back in 2005.

I was part of ''Alpha's'' product development group. While I was there, I worked very closely with a supplier (components). The supplier does not have any ''exclusive'' agreement with ''Alpha'' company, only a standard supplier-NDA agreement.

What I want to do now is work with the supplier to sell component solutions to other similar ''Alpha'' manufactures in the US and other parts of the world - basically competitors to my previous employer. I'm totally aware of the intellectual property (IP) and trade-secret aspect and would not breach this in anyway. All the technical knowledge that I've acquired and will leverage is public information - no secrets there.

Am I OK with this?


Asked on 2/05/08, 10:34 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Dan Harris Harris & Moure, pllc

Re: Non-compete question. Working with previous supplier to sell to competition?

An attorney cannot answer this question without reviewing the contract you signed containing the non-compete agreement and without asking you more questions about the nature of the various businesses involved.

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Answered on 2/06/08, 8:28 am


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