[cma]

In the US you don't have to sign a contract or be part of an agreement to be bound by it. For example, if an MS exec has a noncompete and Google hires him, knowing about the contract, but not being party to it, Google can still be sued.

[Nick_C]

I have trouble believing this is the case. Perhaps only in a very limited set of circumstances. Can you give us some references?

The reason I doubt it is that it opens a huge can of worms about how I could entrap a third-party into a contract that they haven't accepted and haven't exchanged consideration for.

[cma]

http://www.myemploymentlawyer.com/non-compete-covenant-FAQs....

" If your non-compete is valid, then a third party who induces you to break it can face the same liability as you, and possiby more. To avoid this liability, the new employer will often terminate the new employee, which it is free to do."