The restraint of trade doctrine applies to contractual prohibitions operative during the currency of an employment contract, including during gardening leave, and such restraints are valid only insofar as they are reasonable for the protection of the employer's legitimate interests. Where an employee prematurely resigns from a fixed-term contract, the employer/employee relationship is terminated even though the contract remains on foot, and restraints are enforceable only for a reasonable period after the end of actual employment (here, six months), not for the remainder of the contractual term. The employer's willingness to continue paying remuneration does not justify a restraint that exceeds what is reasonably required for the protection of a legitimate interest. The 'special services' requirement for enforcement of negative stipulations by injunction means only that the prohibition relates to a specific line of work, not that the employee must be a public performer.
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