Business Law Library & Tracker
Restraints, Confidentiality & Trade Secrets
Confidential information, non-competes, non-solicitation and staff exits.
Sources last reviewed 28 July 2026
Main law guides
122
Acts, regulations and codes worth reading first
Topics
60
Plain-English clusters
Published case explainers
143
Selected cases with a business lesson
Tracked updates
11
New, amended & reviewed
Plain-English explainers, not legal advice. Use the linked official source for section-level detail, and get advice for your situation.
Get legal helpMain laws
Patents Act 1977
UKPGA 1977 c 37
Trade Secrets (Enforcement, etc.) Regulations 2018
SI 2018/597
Energy Act 2013
2013 c. 32
The Local Services Franchises (Traffic Commissioner Notices and Panels) (Scotland) Regulations 2024
ScottishStatutoryInstrument 2024 229
Cases
Zaha Hadid Limited v The Zaha Hadid Foundation
If your business depends on a founder’s name, designer label, celebrity brand or other licensed trade mark, do not leave duration and exit rights to later argument....
Angela Emmerson v Human Givens Institute Limited
For ordinary businesses, the durable lesson is simple: do not assume you can share information just because one person involved says yes. If your business holds...
InterDigital, Inc & Ors v Optis Cellular Technology LLC & Ors
If your business signs contracts with sensitive pricing, royalty structures or negotiated rates, this case is a useful guide to how courts may treat that...
Mex Group Worldwide Limited v Adam Duthie & Anor
For business owners, the durable lesson is not about the underlying cross-border fight. It is about control of confidential information once a relationship with a...
Vadim Don Benyatov v Credit Suisse (Securities) Europe Ltd
The practical lesson is about clarity, scope and risk allocation. An employer may owe recognised duties of care and may have to reimburse some expenses or...
Credico Marketing Limited & Anor. v Benjamin Gregory Lambert & Anor.
If your agreement contains both an exclusivity clause and a post-termination non-compete, assess them separately. This case shows that a court may uphold the first...
PIXDENE LIMITED v PADDINGTON AND COMPANY LIMITED
If your contract gives you a percentage of sales, royalties or net revenue, check whether the audit clause actually works in practice. This decision shows that a...
Quantum Actuarial LLP v Quantum Advisory Ltd
If you are restructuring a business, spinning out an operating vehicle, or outsourcing client work within a group, draft the agreement around the real commercial...
Travel Counsellors Ltd v Trailfinders Ltd
Do not assume a new recruit or franchisee is free to bring over a customer list just because they know the customers personally. If the volume, format or detail of...
Aven & Ors v Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd
If your business commissions or produces investigation reports, do not assume that a legal dispute, client confidentiality or a public-interest concern gives you a...
The Racing Partnership Ltd & Ors v Sports Information Services Ltd
The durable lesson is about sourcing discipline. If you receive commercially valuable information from a third party, ask where it comes from, what rights sit...
Trailfinders Ltd v Travel Counsellors Ltd & Ors
For ordinary businesses, the lesson is simple: do not treat customer lists as fair game just because a recruit knows the customers, can remember some details, or...
Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd
Severance can rescue a restraint, but it is not a drafting strategy. Employers should tailor each restriction to the employee's role and the business interest being...