Big changes?

[NuggyBuggy 0]

i don't think it would be enforceable.  they'd basically have to say you couldn't do anything hockey-related in north america, which is so broad that it would deprive the guy of his livelihood.  no court would uphold that. 

A non-compete clause is not as useful in this case as a contract specifying rights to, and non-disclosure of, intellectual property and trade secrets. If the guy at Easton signed one, and my guess is he probably did, that's way more ammunition to Easton's lawyers than a non-compete clause. And, it would be enforceable whether or not the guy was at the time an employee at Easton or not.

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

Actually, non-compete clauses are hard to enforce in a lot of the states in the U.S.. They're good, in the very least, in scaring some folks off (both from the employee side (i.e., not to jump ship), and the employer side (don't steal other companies employees)), but in the end, the verbiage has to be VERY specific, and some states have taken on the approach that people have the right to earn a living and that can't be taken away from them.

Also, lawyer tactics will argue that the two aren't exact competitors. For instance, let's say Innovative hired an Easton guy. Easton makes more than just hockey products. Inno, however, ONLY makes hockey sticks. So, are they direct competitors?

Regardless, non-competes aren't as iron clad as some think.

[WingsVK97 0]

It could be just corporate legal wrangling where Easton is suing New Balance/Warrior because they can. Easton feels they might have some legal footing, they have lawyers, so why not tie NB up for a little while with some legal red tape. With the suit hanging around, NB/Warrior can't move forward with product development, and maybe Easton can get something out of it. Stall them up for a couple of months. Worst that happens is it gets thrown out in court, best case they get big settlement check from NB. Seems to me Easton can't really lose by doing this.

A welcome to the hockey equipment family present.

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

Good point. Could be just "games-manship".

[Chadd 916]

i don't think it would be enforceable.  they'd basically have to say you couldn't do anything hockey-related in north america, which is so broad that it would deprive the guy of his livelihood.  no court would uphold that. 

A non-compete clause is not as useful in this case as a contract specifying rights to, and non-disclosure of, intellectual property and trade secrets. If the guy at Easton signed one, and my guess is he probably did, that's way more ammunition to Easton's lawyers than a non-compete clause. And, it would be enforceable whether or not the guy was at the time an employee at Easton or not.

Non-competes are very common in the radio industry and are generally time based. Usually a few months to a year at most and only if the employee quits. Without some type of proof, like email or comments to co-workers, it will be hard to prove that he was plotting against them.

In a lot of cases the NDA and non-compete go hand in hand. Since many of the manufacturers use similar methods to produce equipment, it will be interesting to se if this holds up in court. Considering Warrior/NB has still not produced a product, they can't prove he is using trade secrets.

[Jason Harris 31]

We've been involved in a non-compete suit in our household.

Without giving too much detail, let's just say that our side of the equation felt the agreement was followed explicitly, while their side felt it was breached. The judge's interpretation was the two companies weren't competitive, thus none of the terms applied, so nothing was breached. Here's the kicker, though. It still cost nearly $5K to be vindicated that we never should have been sued in the first place. Obviously, we're not too happy about that. (It's not like all you guys are buying scads of Salming equipment :) .....)

Imagine what kind of legal fees will be run up when one company truly feels its intellectual property rights have been breached, and not just a company trying to rattle cages to show the remaining employees how iron-clad the agreement is. Even if the sued party could ultimately be vindicated, their counsel might tell them it will cost too much money to defend. Perhaps they settle, but the terms of the settlement could ask that they not come to market with their product.

The point is a lawsuit can really slow down the progress of a company -- even if it's on shaky legal footing.

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

I make my girlfriends sign non-compete clauses. If in the case they go lesbian, they can not date women in my immediate dating pool area.....

um.... ok, maybe not.....

[Sven 1]

will adidas print their logo on the stuff or will they keep the easton/tps logo ?

any infos?

[Bauer_freAK 0]

will adidas print their logo on the stuff or will they keep the easton/tps logo ?

any infos?

hope not...

overall 3 stripes...

UGLY... Icehockey-pant with three stripes..! o.O

Puma Jamaica on icehockeypants, that would be great Lol :lol:

joke..

IMO nothing should be changed.. no more brands

[seanmccann 3]

will adidas print their logo on the stuff or will they keep the easton/tps logo ?

any infos?

Do you think that Adidas will not take advantage of advertising?

[JGraz15 53]

will adidas print their logo on the stuff or will they keep the easton/tps logo ?

any infos?

Logics says that TPS would be a much easier acquisition than Easton's hockey branch. Easton is strong in hockey, definitely a money maker, and have name recognition. TPS seems much more shaky and likely for purchase.

That being said...everyone has their price.

[Scores 0]

I recall reading in a business journal that non-competes are illegal in California...can't find the article...

So I would guess that Easton has some 'dirt' on the employee in question...

[JR Boucicaut 3768]

http://business.bostonherald.com/businessN...articleid=85926

[Chadd 916]

http://business.bostonherald.com/businessN...articleid=85926

What a major league dumbass. Anything you do with email or on a computer can be tracked.

[ktang 34]

If true (it is only "alleged" at this point), that is wholly unethical.

Unfortunately for Easton, this is providing awareness for New Balance / Warrior.

It's interesting to read that Easton was also considering acquiring Innovative.

[JR Boucicaut 3768]

Actually they were in the bidding. Inno took NB/Warrior's over them.

THey figured they could corner the market and knock out their biggest competitor when it came to composite sticks.

[ktang 34]

Actually they were in the bidding. Inno took NB/Warrior's over them.

THey figured they could corner the market and knock out their biggest competitor when it came to composite sticks.

So, the top composite stick brands are:

1. Easton;

2. Innovative;

3. TPS? or CCM?

I thought that TPS was ahead of Innovative, but I don't know that much about composite sticks.

As a consumer, though, I wouldn't want a single company dominating the market without any competition. It would be bad for the distributors, too, I would think...

[JR Boucicaut 3768]

Inno makes the Bauer Vapor XXX OPS, as well as XX and XV shafts. Blades are made in Canada and assembled up there. Inno being bought means that BNH won't have access to those sticks anymore.

[Guest Marcelo Cordoba]

Inno makes the Bauer Vapor XXX OPS, as well as XX and XV shafts. Blades are made in Canada and assembled up there. Inno being bought means that BNH won't have access to those sticks anymore.

In my opinion, BNH doesn't need Inno. Their Canadian source is more than capable of delivering a top quality, top performing product.

[dddatsyuk--48 0]

wait!! so its NOT certain that warrior is going to buy out inno???

[JR Boucicaut 3768]

Inno has been sold to NB/Warrior. That is not the issue.

[JR Boucicaut 3768]

Inno makes the Bauer Vapor XXX OPS, as well as XX and XV shafts.  Blades are made in Canada and assembled up there.  Inno being bought means that BNH won't have access to those sticks anymore.

In my opinion, BNH doesn't need Inno. Their Canadian source is more than capable of delivering a top quality, top performing product.

True.

What will happen is that in a year they'll come out with a new stick and nobody will even notice.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Inno makes the Bauer Vapor XXX OPS, as well as XX and XV shafts.  Blades are made in Canada and assembled up there.  Inno being bought means that BNH won't have access to those sticks anymore.

In my opinion, BNH doesn't need Inno. Their Canadian source is more than capable of delivering a top quality, top performing product.

Where is their Canadian source? Is it in St-Jérome(Québec)?

[Guest Marcelo Cordoba]

Nope

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

I would like to get the things clear in my mind, so is it the end of the sticks called Innovative or they will keep Innovative name on the sticks.

If it's the end of Innovative, that was a great run for them and that make me kind of sad.