Non-compete definition

A non-compete agreement or clause is an agreement under which one party (an employee, consultant; partner) agrees to not pursue a similar profession or trade in competition against another party (employer, partner).

A non-compete agreement may be the entire subject of a document, or it can be a clause in a larger document. Non-competes are used to protect a party from unfair competition by others who have intimate knowledge of the business operations, trade secrets, customer lists and so on.

Non-compete agreements are treated differently by different states so check with an attorney about the laws of your state.

Search again for key elements or parameters of a non-compete agreement.