The springboard or head start doctrine, which has its foundation in equitable obligations of confidence, cannot be used to extend an injunction enforcing a negative contractual covenant beyond the period during which the covenant operates; if the contractual restraint period has ended, there is no actual or threatened breach to which such an injunction could be directed. However, the possibility of a headstart advantage may be relevant to justifying the reasonableness of a restraint of trade covenant, or to the construction of a contractual constraint. An entire agreement clause in a deed of release addressing the termination of employment will exclude termination rights under a prior employment agreement that are not expressly preserved in the deed.
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