On July 12, 2013, A federal judge denied a motion filed by The Weather Channel Interactive to dismiss a number of trade secret misappropriation claims brought by Events Media Network, Inc. The judge held that the plaintiff had alleged sufficient facts to make out a claim under the Georgia Trade Secrets Act.
The claim arose out of a license agreement between Events Media Network, Inc. (EMNI) and The Weather Channel Interactive (TWCI) under which EMNI provided TWCI access to a database of upcoming events and attractions. EMNI continually updated the database with event information drawn from publicly available sources. The license agreement allowed TWCI to use the database to serve local event listings to its website viewers.
Although the information contained in the database was publicly available, the court found that the database was a valuable compilation that gained value from its secrecy. The court further held that the general confidentiality provision contained in the license agreement was sufficient to make out reasonable efforts to protect the information under the Georgia Trade Secrets Act.