Kronenberger Rosenfeld Wins Trade Secrets Case

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Kronenberger Rosenfeld, LLP, a San Francisco-based Internet, technology and media law firm, obtained a unanimous defense verdict on behalf of three employees in a trade secrets matter brought by their former employer GC Micro.

GC Micro alleged that its former employees stole trade secrets comprised of customer information that was stored in their heads when they left to work for a competitor. GC Micro resells computer hardware and software to the federal government and prime contractors, such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin.  Accordingly, Lead Counsel for the employee defendants Karl Kronenberger argued that the information the employees used was public information or readily ascertainable to any business competitor. 

After a one-month trial, the jury found that the information about GC Micro’s customers, used by the former employees, was not a trade secret.

“We argued to the jury that the lawsuit brought by GC Micro was a disguised attempt to harm its competitor and retaliate against its former employees,” said Mr. Kronenberger. “Customer lists are often difficult to protect, as they typically do not have the requisite value to be deemed a trade secret. We are pleased the jury recognized this lawsuit for what it was.”

The case is G.C. Micro v. Brown, et al. Case # SCV-254684.

Kronenberger Rosenfeld, LLP is a San Francisco-based Internet, technology and media law firm. The firm counsels clients across the United States and internationally on a variety of Internet and intellectual property matters, including trade secret litigation, trademark and copyright infringement, spam litigation defense, Internet defamation and false advertising, cybersquatting, website agreements, and privacy matters.