Recent decisions show courts putting reverse engineering defences under the spotlight –
increasingly scrutinising how information is obtained, how AI tools are used, and whether access or contractual restrictions were breached. This session brings together a panel of in-house counsel, litigators, and technical experts to explore when reverse engineering defences are useful in practice, and what this means for enforcement and defence strategies.
- When reverse engineering is treated as lawful versus when courts view it as a cover for misappropriation.
- How courts assess claims of independent development and “clean room” processes in practice.
- The growing importance of contractual restrictions, product terms, and access controls.
- Lessons from recent disputes where reverse engineering arguments failed due to evidence of prior access or employee movement.
- Practical steps companies are taking to protect against reverse engineering without over-claiming secrecy.
Clint Morrison
Clint Morrison is a commercial litigator, trial lawyer, and problem solver. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School who clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and a former actor who previously worked at a government relations and public affairs firm, Clint brings a unique perspective to his work helping clients find creative, effective solutions to their most complex and consequential challenges.
Clint has extensive trial experience in federal and state courts throughout the country. Last year alone, Clint played a key role in two trial wins: a $2 billion jury verdict in a high-profile trade secrets case between two software companies (the largest verdict in the history of the State of Virginia), and a victory for client Howard University in a bench trial in the Southern District of New York establishing the University’s superior claim of title to a historically significantly work by the renowned artist Charles White.
Clint focuses on complex commercial litigation and litigates cases involving trade secrets and intellectual property, contractual and business disputes, false advertising and unfair competition, and whistleblower claims under the False Claims Act. Clint also maintains an active high-stakes art law practice.
Clint’s approach is to unpack the intellectual legal and factual puzzles in every case, identify the key themes and narratives underlying each dispute, and navigate each stage of a litigation with an eye towards building a compelling, winning case before a judge or jury.
Clint was named to the 2023 and 2024 editions of Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch, which recognizes outstanding professional excellence in private practice by attorneys who have typically been in practice for up to 10 years. He currently serves as the Secretary of the Federal Bar Council’s Public Service Committee.
Carl Alexander Dinges
Eda Stark
Jim Pooley
