Competition Corner

On January 27, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission convened a virtual half‑day workshop, “Moving Forward: Protecting Workers from Anticompetitive Noncompete Agreements,” outlining a case‑by‑case, enforcement‑forward approach to challenging restrictive employment covenants the agency views as harmful to worker mobility, competitor entry, and consumer welfare.

The FTC recently appealed a Texas federal court’s decision from August to block the implementation of the FTC’s rule banning worker non-competes.

The Federal Trade Commission’s rule banning nearly all noncompete agreements with workers was blocked, nationwide, by a Texas federal court on August 20.