Trade Secrets

If protecting trade secrets — the proprietary knowledge and know-how that give your business a competitive advantage — is important to you, we can help. 

The components that comprise an effective trade secret protection program will vary depending upon the nature of the trade secret, but a typical program might include:

• Written agreements with employees, customers and others who are allowed access to the trade secret
• Appropriate use of proprietary notices and labels
• Protection of trade secret materials by appropriate storage and access controls
• Training of managers to identify trade secrets and execute the company’s trade secret protection program
• Education of key technical employees to pre-clear speeches and articles containing sensitive material and debriefing of such employees following technical meetings with other parties
• Consistent use of exit interviews for employees and contractors
• Enforcement of a sensible visitor access policy
• Adoption and dissemination of a written trade secret protection policy.

The types of parties with whom written agreements relating to a company’s trade secrets should be entered into include the following:

• Employees
• Board Members
• Professional service providers (CPAs, attorneys)
• Contractors and consultants
• Distribution partners (dealers, sales reps, distributors, resellers, OEMs)
• Joint venture partners
• Strategic partners.

Your competitive edge is too valuable to be left unprotected; we can help you ensure that it isn’t.

To discuss your particular trade secret protection needs, please contact Sean D. Detweiler.