A one-day workshop
Trade barriers are going up across the globe. And cybercrime is on the increase. The link between the two? The value of trade secrets.
As countries become increasingly protectionist as regards international trade, so their IP law has been changing, with the result that companies that previously would have sought protection through patents are opting to go down the trade secret route instead. But is this a high-risk strategy? Technology is changing and this is having an impact on forms of commercial co-operation. Collaborative or open forms of innovation by their very nature involve the sharing of intellectual property (IP), and in many instances this IP is in the form of valuable confidential business information (ie, trade secrets). Little surprise, then, that trade secrets disputes have increased accordingly.
At the same time, the changes in technology make trade secrets more vulnerable to attack, misappropriation, theft.
So just how effective are the legal protections for trade secrets? How can organisations safeguard the value in their IP (increasingly, the single biggest line in their balance sheets)? This programme is designed to help you address these issues.
- Emerging trends in trade secrets protection and exploitation
- The current situation in key jurisdictions
- Recent case law
- How leading companies are responding
- The importance of trade secret metadata
- Different external stakeholders and their interests
- Key steps for effective protection of trade secrets
Expert trainer
Donal is a specialist in the areas of innovation and intellectual property management. As a consultant, he helps organisations to recognise and appreciate the value of their intellectual capital, assets and property, and to ensure that they then manage these intangibles in an efficient and effective manner.
Session outline
Note: this is an indicative agenda, to be used as a starting point for a conversation between client and consultant, depending on the organisation’s specific situation and requirements.
1. What are trade secrets?
- Definitions
- Examples
- Comparison with other forms of IP (patents, confidential information, know-how, copyright)
2. Current trends
- The various changes taking place affecting trade secrets – legal changes, trade wars, cybercrime, technology, commercial practice
- The current position in the UK, Europe, USA, China, Japan, Russia
- Corporate best practice
3. Trade secret disputes – how to avoid them
- Trade secret policies, processes and systems
- Administrative, legal and technical protection mechanisms
- The role of employees
- The sharing of trade secrets with others
4. Trade secret disputes – how to manage them
- Causes
- Anatomy of a trade secret court case
- ‘Reasonable particularity’
5. Related issues
- Insurance
- Tax authorities and investigations
- Investor relations
6. Trade secret asset management roadmap
- Maturity ladder
- First steps
- Pilot projects
