FTC Non-Compete Rule Public Comments: Open Coding in QDA Mode

# FTC Non-Compete Clause Rule: Public Comments (Docket FTC-2023-0007)
# QDA Mode features shown here: an open codebook grown while reading, in-vivo
# codes, full-text search with search-and-claim, and shared memos raised as
# issues.
#
# Source documents (Federal Register, works of the U.S. Government):
#   Proposed rule: Federal Trade Commission, "Non-Compete Clause Rule,"
#     88 FR 3482 (January 19, 2023).
#     https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/01/19/2023-00414/non-compete-clause-rule
#   Final rule: Federal Trade Commission, "Non-Compete Clause Rule,"
#     89 FR 38342 (May 7, 2024).
#     https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/07/2024-09171/non-compete-clause-rule
#   Removal: "Revision of the Negative Option Rule, Withdrawal of the CARS Rule,
#     Removal of the Non-Compete Rule To Conform These Rules to Federal Court
#     Decisions," 91 FR 6507 (February 12, 2026).
# Comments: Regulations.gov docket FTC-2023-0007.
#
# What the final rule says about the comments (89 FR 38342): "In response to
# the NPRM, the Commission received over 26,000 public comments," from
# employers and workers "in a wide range of industries and from every State".
# The FTC summarized what commenters reported: non-competes "prevented them
# from taking a better job or starting a competing business," "suppressed
# their wages," and "created a climate of fear that deters competitive
# activity," while commenters opposed to the rule argued that non-competes
# protect firms' investments. The five seed codes below paraphrase those
# summaries. Everything else in the codebook is meant to be added while
# reading, mostly as in-vivo codes taken from commenters' own words.
#
# The rule itself no longer stands: the FTC removed it from the Code of
# Federal Regulations in February 2026 after federal courts vacated it. The
# comment record on Regulations.gov is unchanged.
#
# Reproduction notes:
#   - Commenters keep the rights to their own comments, so every comment in
#     sample-data.json is SYNTHETIC, written in the form of a Regulations.gov
#     submission. Comment IDs end in SYN01 to SYN10 and match no real comment.
#   - Codebook edits made in the browser are additions at the top level. Merging
#     two codes is an admin API call (POST /api/codebook/admin/merge), and in
#     Potato 2.13.1 a merge does not re-point codings already saved under the
#     old code, so settle duplicates early and record each decision in a memo.
#   - A .qdpx export of this project carries the codes as a flat list and
#     leaves out memos.

annotation_task_name: "FTC Non-Compete Rule Public Comments: Open Coding in QDA Mode"
task_dir: "."

data_files:
  - sample-data.json

item_properties:
  id_key: "id"
  text_key: "text"

output_annotation_dir: "annotation_output/"
export_annotation_format: "jsonl"

port: 8000

qda_mode:
  enabled: true
  memos:
    enabled: true
    show_sidebar_by_default: true
  codebook:
    enabled: true
    mode: open

# With text selected in comment_codes, press "i" to turn the selected words
# into a new code. The composer shows similar existing codes, so a coder can
# reuse one instead of creating a near-duplicate.
codebook_invivo_key: i

# A coding team reads one docket together, so new memos default to shared.
# Mark a memo as an issue and assign it to someone to put a codebook question
# on that person's list of open issues.
annotation_ui:
  memos: true
  visibility: shared

# Full-text search over the comment text (the text_key field; the submitter
# and state fields are not indexed). With annotator_claim, a coder can search
# for words such as "lawyer" or "trade secrets" and pull the matching comments
# into their own queue.
search:
  enabled: true
  backend: fts5
  annotator_claim: true

annotation_instructions: |
  Each item is one public comment submitted to the Federal Trade Commission
  on its proposed Non-Compete Clause Rule (docket FTC-2023-0007).

  1. Read the whole comment first.
  2. Highlight passages and apply codes in "Comment codes". The codebook
     starts with five codes taken from the FTC's own summary of the comments.
     When a passage needs a code that does not exist, select the commenter's
     words and press "i" to create an in-vivo code from them.
  3. Record the commenter's position on the proposed ban in "Position".
  4. Use search to find comments that touch a code you just created, and
     claim them into your queue to check whether the code holds up.
  5. Write memos as you go. If two codes seem to overlap, or a code's meaning
     is drifting, write a shared memo, mark it as an issue, and assign it to
     the lead coder. Resolve the issue once the codebook decision is made.

instance_display:
  fields:
    - key: comment_id
      type: text
      label: "Comment ID"
    - key: submitter_type
      type: text
      label: "Submitter (self-described)"
    - key: state
      type: text
      label: "State"
    - key: text
      type: text
      label: "Comment"
      span_target: true

annotation_schemes:
  - annotation_type: span
    name: comment_codes
    description: "Highlight a passage and apply a code. Select words and press i to code in vivo."
    codebook: true
    labels:
      - name: "blocked from a better job"
        tooltip: "The commenter says a non-compete kept them, or workers they know, from taking a better job."
      - name: "blocked from starting a business"
        tooltip: "The commenter says a non-compete kept them from starting a competing business."
      - name: "suppressed wages"
        tooltip: "The commenter links a non-compete to lower pay or smaller raises."
      - name: "climate of fear"
        tooltip: "The commenter describes fear of being sued, or of the employer, as what keeps workers in place, whether or not the clause is enforceable."
      - name: "protects employer investment"
        tooltip: "The commenter argues that non-competes protect an employer's investment in training, clients, or confidential information."

  - annotation_type: radio
    name: position
    description: "What position does the comment take on the proposed ban?"
    labels:
      - name: "supports the ban"
      - name: "opposes the ban"
      - name: "supports with changes"
      - name: "no clear position"

user_config:
  allow_all_users: true