Alan Patmore took with him more than 700 files containing confidential Zynga information

The number of Ohio workers seeking federal assistance because their jobs have been shipped overseas or they've lost their jobs because of imports tumbled to a six-year low in 2011, according to a report released today. The report credits a rebound in manufacturing for at least some of the improvement.The report found that 57 petitions seeking aid for 3,103 workers were approved in 2011 under the Trade Adjustment and Assistance, down from at least 14,000 workers in each of the previous three years, Policy Matters Ohio said in the report.The group noted a gain of 48,000 manufacturing jobs since the recession ended in 2009 and said that outsourcing appears to be affecting smaller companies along with fewer workers at larger companies, suggesting that the effect of trade may be hitting some sort of bottom, the report said.
Under the federal program, workers affected by trade issues may be eligible for several benefits, including extended unemployment benefits and job-training assistance.Alan Patmore took with him more than 700 files containing confidential Zynga information when he left the company in August to join competitor Kixeye, according to the complaint filed Oct. 12 in state court in San Francisco.Zynga claims these files contained revenue information, and monetization strategy for its games, plus design documents for more than 10 unreleased games, in addition to 14 months of confidential e-mails reserved exclusively for Zynga's executive staff.Dreamgirl Mary Wilson previews new Philadelphia exhibit, talks same-sex marriage.The San Francisco games company alleges that Kixeye, which like Zynga, releases free-to-play online social games, has "failed to achieve success" because it lacks Zynga's know-how. Zynga said that on Patmore's final day of employment, he refused to confirm he had returned company data, and refused to sign a termination certification document.
According to a statement on the Kixeye website, Patmore joined the company, which is also based in San Francisco, as vice president of product on Aug. 23. Will Harbin, Kixeye chief executive officer, said in the statement that Patmore brought "a killer product instinct and an ability to deliver high quality games" to his new job. Zynga asked the court to bar use of its trade secrets by Patmore and 50 unidentified defendants, and asked that the confidential information be returned immediately. Additionally, it asked for money damages, claiming Kixeye has been "unjustly enriched" through the use of the trade secrets. Zynga also seeks extra damages to punish Patmore and the other defendants for their actions, together with awards of litigation costs and attorney fees.