Legal Question in Technology Law in California

Unethical Interviewing

I suspect that a potential employer had no

intention of hiring me, instead they were

pumping me for information about a competitor.

I was called in to interview on three separate

occasions, for a total of TEN HOURS, During

which I was:

* Questioned extensively about specific

technical details of my prior job duties,

many of which were unique to the competitor.

* Asked to explicitly recall steps I had

performed to obtain certain results,

in violation of non-disclosure agreements.

* Required to show work ''samples'', including

confidential company documents which I had

redacted but which were still potentially

useful.

* Required to submit ''code samples'' which

consisted of programming work that I had

done for the competitor. I did not comply.

* Asked ''what could have been done better'' at my

previous position, after fully analyzing

how my prior work related to their situation

* Was told that I ''did not meet the qualifications'',

after refusing to submit ''sample code'' which was

wholly the property of competitor.

Is this legal, and if not, what damages am I entitled to?


Asked on 1/11/02, 4:17 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Stephen Anderson Anderson & Associates - MYBRANDSONLINE

Re: Unethical Interviewing

While more information may be required, such conduct is likely illegal!

California law prohibits "unfair competition...any unlawful, unfair or fraudulent business act or practice or other deceptive acts prohibited by law.

Under Civ Code 3426 "Improper" includes theft, bribery, misrepresentation, breach or inducement

of a breach of a duty to maintain secrecy, or espionage through electronic or other means.

Reverse engineering or independent derivation alone shall not be considered improper means.

(b) "Misappropriation" means:

(1) Acquisition of a trade secret of another by a person who knows or has reason to know that the trade secret was acquired by improper means; or (2) Disclosure or use of a trade secret of another without express or implied consent by a person who: (A) Used improper means to acquire knowledge of the trade secret; or (B) At the time of disclosure or use, knew or had reason to know that his or her knowledge of the trade secret was derived from: or through a person who had utilized improper means to acquire it; acquired under circumstances giving rise to a duty to maintain its secrecy or limit its use; or from or through a person who owed a duty to the person seeking relief to maintain its secrecy or limit its use.

Trade secrets are creative works and compilations of information that give the owner a competitive

advantage over other traders who would not be able to easily obtain or create the same information. This term is extremely broad, covering: � business records, systems, and practices � sensitive marketing manuals and materials � price schedules � supply sources

� customer lists � prospective opportunities � information on the effectiveness of personnel.

Trade secrets remain protected so long as reasonable steps are taken to ensure that all

persons with access keep such knowledge in confidence.

While no agreement can ever be enough to completely protect the inventor from thieves and

dishonest businessmen, strong contracts, proper hiring methods and careful vendor/manufacturer/

marketing agreements, have served not only to keep the public from learning the formula

for COKE, but also to keep imitators from coming too close in reproducing such products

as bar-b-q sauce, seasoning mix, shampoo, pharmaceuticals, and software.

WE PROTECT IMAGINATION and offer online registration services for basic copyrights, trademarks and domain names at www.mybrandsonline.com.

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Answered on 1/11/02, 4:49 am


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