Employees Violating Computer Misuse Policy

In July, the Fourth Circuit weighed in on the scope of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) in WEC Carolina Energy Solutions, LLC v. Miller and found that the CFAA is not broad enough to impose liability on an employee who has lawful access to his employer's electronic information but later misuses that information - such as by stealing the employer's electronic trade secrets. In taking this narrow approach to the CFAA and siding with the Second and Ninth Circuits, the Fourth Circuit has widened the circuit split over whether the CFAA applies to disloyal employees who violate the computer use policies of their employer. In this Legal Alert, Audra Dial and John Moye discuss the Fourth Circuit's recent ruling and its impact for employers drafting computer use policies as well as companies pursuing trade secret claims through the CFAA.

See kilpatrickstockton.com