Ingersoll-Rand Co. v. Ciavatta

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

GARIBALDI, J.

The issue in this appeal is the enforceability of an employee invention “holdover” agreement. Specifically, the issue presented is whether a “holdover” clause requiring an employee to assign a post-termination invention that does not involve an employer’s trade secret or proprietary information is enforceable. The products relevant to this dispute are a new type of friction stabilizer, which defendant invented and patented, and a split-set friction stabilizer, manufactured and distributed by plaintiff. Both devices are used in the mining…