OPINION AND ORDER Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Rocket”) brings this action against Lexeo Therapeutics, Inc. (“Lexeo”) and two employees that left Rocket to work at Lexeo: Kenneth Law and Sonia Gutierrez (collectively, the “Individuals”). Rocket asserts trade secret misappropriation claims against all defendants under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”), 18 U.S.C. §1836(b)-(c) (Count I). It also asserts the following claims under New York law: misappropriation of trade secrets against all defendants (Count II), breach of contract against the Individuals (Counts III and IV), tortious interference with contractual relations against Lexeo (Count V), and unfair competition against all defendants (Count VI1). Lexeo (ECF 56) and the Individuals (ECF 61) have moved to dismiss all claims against them for failure to state a claim. Rule 12(b)(6), Fed. R. Civ. P. For reasons that will be explained, the Court will deny the defendants’ motions to dismiss, except as to the unfair competition claim that the Court concludes is duplicative of other claims. BACKGROUND The Court accepts the allegations of the Complaint as true for the purposes of the motions and draws all reasonable inferences in favor of Rocket as the non-movant. Freedom Holdings, Inc. v. Spitzer, 357 F.3d 205, 216 (2d Cir. 2004). The Court also considers Law’s employment agreement with Rocket (ECF 62-1), Gutierrez’s employment agreement with Rocket (ECF 62-2), Rocket’s January 6, 2022 letter to Lexeo (ECF 67-2), and Lexeo’s February 17, 2022 letter to Rocket in response (ECF 57-1) as documents incorporated by reference into Rocket’s complaint. See Goel v. Bunge, Ltd., 820 F.3d 554, 559 (2d Cir. 2016). Rocket and Lexeo are both biotechnology companies. (Complaint
2, 105.) Rocket develops cell and gene therapies using either the adeno-associated virus (“AAV”) or the lentiviral vector (“LVV”) platform. (Id. 4.) Rocket develops its gene therapies in multiple stages. (Id. 5.) It begins with gene chemistry research and then establishes a reliable way to manufacture the gene therapy. (Id.) Then, it begins testing the efficacy of its therapy; it begins with preclinical studies and ends with Phase III clinical trials in human patients. (Id.) Lexeo develops gene therapies using only the AAV platform. (Id. 105.) Both companies are developing a treatment for arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy due to mutations in the PKP-2 gene (“PKP-2 arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy”) using the AAV platform. (Id. 11.) Kenneth Law began working as a scientist at Rocket in October 2016, and Sonia Gutierrez began working there in October 2018. (Id.
