Injunction Prohibiting Use of Unidentified Trade Secrets Was Too Vague

Case: Patriot Homes, Inc. v. Forest River Housing, 7th Cir. No. 06-3012 (January 10, 2008)

A preliminary injunction in a trade secret and copyright case enjoined a defendant from "[u]sing, copying, disclosing, converting, appropriating, retaining, selling, transferring, or otherwise exploiting Patriot’s copyrights, confidential information, trade secrets, or computer files."

The Seventh Circuit held that this injunction was impermissibly vague and did not meet the requirements of Rule 65(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure that the injunction be specific in its terms and describe in reasonable detail the acts sought to be restrained.