AFAIK - IANAL, and in California only - that's not covered under the non-compete stuff, it's covered under the value-of-sold-goods stuff, even if it's also ment

AFAIK - IANAL, and in California only - that's not covered under the non-compete stuff, it's covered under the value-of-sold-goods stuff, even if it's also mentioned as a specific exception to non-competes. CA blocks non-competes b/c you can't prevent someone from using their skills to make a living. Poaching clients back undermines the value of the thing you _just_ sold. It might be different if/when it's not a voluntary sale, and I bet there's ways to contract out of it - I've certainly idly daydreamed about clauses along the lines of "if you fuck up the product I just sold you enough, I can make it again and you can't stop me" - but TBH that probably just ends up as a "can't release a competing product within a year".