Quote: mat "They arent preventing him from changing employers though. just determining whether he can compete in a competition which they control. Similar to quota rules. Neither would standup in a court of law as their both restraint of trade in a legal sense. ...'"
Again the mistake that something is necessarily unlawful if it is a restraint of trade. Not so. The question is, if it is a restraint of trade, is it against the interests of the parties, or is it against public policy. REASONABLE restraints of trade are perfectly legal. Clause 5 in Iestyn Harris's contract dealing with his 'returnability' to Leeds was a clear restraint of trade, but was held in court not to be void, so I think we should know!