Changes in the world of noncompetition agreements (noncompetes) have been particularly prevalent in recent weeks, most notably including court activity barring the Federal Trade Commission’s new noncompete ban and Pennsylvania’s new law restricting the use of certain noncompetes for health care practitioners.

In May of this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a final rule that would ban nearly all new noncompetes with employees, independent contractors, and volunteers nationwide, with the exception of noncompetes entered into pursuant to certain business sales, on the basis that noncompetes are an unfair method of competition and therefore a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act.