Employee spinoffs may harm incumbent firm owners for two reasons: first, they increase competition in relevant product markets, potentially decreasing rents associated with market power. Second, the threat of an employee spinoff may prevent a firm owner from making costly, productivity-enhancing...

We study the effects of noncompete contracts in an environment where firms invest in training junior workers. After obtaining employer-provided training, trained workers can choose whether to remain loyal to their initial employer or switch to the competing employer. We evaluate the effects of...

Family firms are known for their reluctance to invest in research and development. We show that strengthened trade secret protection is associated with higher R&D investment by family firms. More specifically, we show that the association between the strength of trade secret protection through...

This paper discusses the overlap and interaction between patents and trade secrets in the United Kingdom, with relevant comparisons to United States law. It considers the use of trade secrets protection as an alternative or complement to patent protection