Scott Kirsner: Non-Compete Laws Stifling Mass. High Tech Industry

Imagine your company lays you off, and you get a job offer from a firm in the same industry. If you'd signed a non-compete agreement at your old job, your former employer could sue to stop you from taking your new job. And in Massachusetts, there's a good chance it would work.

Laws in the commonwealth unduly favor the rights of employers in non-compete disputes, according to Boston Globe columnist Scott Kirsner. And, Kirsner says, that's driving top talent away from Massachusetts in key high-tech industries, where non-competes are common. California law, in contrast, does not permit non-compete agreements in most situations.

But many employers say non-compete agreements are essential for protecting intellectual property and trade secrets.

As legislators on Beacon Hill debate proposals to relax Massachusetts non-compete law, Kirsner joins us to take the debate head-on.

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