Quick background on my situation — any input appreciated.
former employee took trade secrets. I've been dealing with this for about 13 months now and the situation isn't improving.
This involves original creative work over the past 22 months. I do not have documentation proving my ownership and timeline.
Am I overthinking this or is this a real legal issue worth pursuing?
This happened to me too. Have you tried filing a complaint with the relevant agency? In my case they investigated and it got resolved without needing a lawyer.
I went through almost the exact same thing.
What worked for me was hiring an attorney to send the initial letter. It took 2-4 months but was worth it.
This is one of those situations where even a quick legal consult pays for itself.
Following this thread — Commenting so I can find this later. Very relevant to my situation.
Classic scenario honestly.
The thing that gets people is having everything documented. I'd recommend keeping a detailed timeline instead.
I practice in this area. Here's my take on the legal issues.
The key question is whether the applicable statute of limitations has run. Depending on your jurisdiction, you typically have the DMCA safe harbor provisions years for this type of claim.
The practical consideration here is cost vs. potential recovery. For disputes under $10K, small claims court is often the best route.
I went through almost the exact same thing.
I ended up hiring an attorney to send the initial letter, which cost about $2-4 but saved me a lot more in the long run smh.
Just want to point out — the statute of limitations might be a factor here. In some states it's as short as 1-2 years. Don't sit on this too long.