[greggman]

It IS a violation in many places and it should be IMO. See my reply above.

I'll try to dig up some relevant links to laws

Here's a relevant link.

"Employees Owe a Duty of Loyalty to Their Employers

...

Thus, an employee who improperly competes with his employer, assists a competitor during the course of employment, or makes use of the employer's confidential information to compete with the employer after termination may have breached the duty of loyalty.

"

etc..

http://shawvalenza.com/publications.php?id=68