{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-blog-post-ts","path":"/a-non-compete-clause-must-be-unambiguous/","result":{"data":{"site":{"siteMetadata":{"title":"Clausehound Blog","author":"Joshua Koudys"}},"markdownRemark":{"id":"21527746-4243-5bbe-b6b5-f44101543525","excerpt":"Restrictive covenants must be drafted carefully to give adequate protection to the purchaser, and purchasers should be able to show the connection between the…","html":"<p><strong>Restrictive covenants</strong> must be drafted carefully to give adequate protection to the purchaser, and purchasers should be able to show the connection between the price paid for the goodwill of the business, and the temporal and geographic aspects of the non-compete provision. If the <strong>non-compete provisions</strong> are renewed or extended, care should be taken to clearly adjust the timeline accordingly.</p>\n<p>The parties entered into an asset purchase agreement which contained a non-compete provision that stated they were not to compete or interfere with its business relationships for 5 years after the acquisition or 12 months after their employment ended, whichever was later. The court in holding that the non-competition provision was not enforceable, stated that the terms of the restrictive covenants were ambiguous and created doubt about when the non-compete period ended. The legal rights must be clear and the facts undisputed in order to enforce a restrictive covenant in many jurisdictions.</p>\n<p><a href=\"http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Staffing-Training/Employment-Contracts/New-Jersey-court-declines-noncompete-agreement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Read the article here.</a></p>\n<h3>Takeaway:</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>When enforcing a restrictive covenant in relation to non-competition, the courts will look at the clarity of the legal rights and whether the facts are undisputed.</li>\n</ul>","frontmatter":{"title":"A Non-Compete Clause Must be Unambiguous","date":"August 09, 2015","description":"Restrictive covenants must be drafted carefully to give adequate protection to the purchaser, and purchasers should be able to show the connection between the price paid for the goodwill of the business, and the temporal and geographic aspects of the non-compete provision.","author":{"id":"rajah@cobaltcounsel.com","first":"Rajah","last":"Lehal","bio":"Rajah Lehal is Founder and CEO of Clausehound.com.  Rajah is a legal technologist and technology lawyer who is, together with the Clausehound team, capturing and sharing lawyer expertise, building deal negotiation libraries, teaching negotiation in classrooms, and automating negotiation with software.","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1,"src":"/static/d7bbad08c257f3987a4a5710553e9e17/bdd4d/Rajah.jpg","srcSet":"/static/d7bbad08c257f3987a4a5710553e9e17/2b9ee/Rajah.jpg 80w,\n/static/d7bbad08c257f3987a4a5710553e9e17/e5d64/Rajah.jpg 160w,\n/static/d7bbad08c257f3987a4a5710553e9e17/bdd4d/Rajah.jpg 320w,\n/static/d7bbad08c257f3987a4a5710553e9e17/6e63d/Rajah.jpg 400w","sizes":"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px"}}}},"tags":["Restrictive Covenants","Asset Purchase Agreement","Commercial Activities","Rajah"]}}},"pageContext":{"slug":"/a-non-compete-clause-must-be-unambiguous/","previous":{"fields":{"slug":"/county-commissioners-reconsider-controversial-3-step-dispute-resolution-mechanism-in-proposed-contract/"},"frontmatter":{"title":"County Commissioners Reconsider 'Controversial' 3 Step Dispute Resolution Mechanism in Proposed Contract","tags":["Dispute Resolution","Informal Discussions","Dispute Resolution","Rajah"],"author":{"id":"rajah@cobaltcounsel.com","first":"Rajah","last":"Lehal"}}},"next":{"fields":{"slug":"/applicable-tax-laws-must-be-considered-when-structuring-an-asset-purchase-agreement/"},"frontmatter":{"title":"Applicable Tax Laws must be Considered When Structuring an Asset Purchase Agreement","tags":["Restrictive Covenants","Asset Purchase Agreement","Commercial Activities","info@clausehound.com"],"author":{"id":"info@clausehound.com","first":"","last":null}}}}}}