Companies have information that gives each of them a competitive advantage over competitors. Patenting this information is sometimes legally impossible or disadvantageous — patents expire, leaving vitally important information publically exposed.
Some companies choose to treat the information as a trade secret because such a designation can offer legal leverage in certain situations. And unlike a patent, a trade secret can last forever.
A patent expires 20 years from its effective date of filing, and that previously protected invention enters the public domain. With a patent, you’re disclosing how to make and practice an invention in exchange for 20 years of exclusive rights to do so,” says Daniel R. Ling, an associate with Fay Sharpe LLP.
He says many companies, especially smaller ones, don’t often consider the role of trade secrets, but in certain instances companies could be well served by recognizing and protecting such valuable information. But there’s one catch: “You have to take reasonable steps to maintain it as a secret.”
Smart Business spoke with Ling about identifying and protecting trade secrets.
What are some examples of information that could be a trade secret?
Customer and supplier lists, the arrangement of equipment in a factory and certain manufacturing processes are examples of valuable proprietary information that may not rise to the level of something that can be patented. Often, it comes down to that which makes your product better than that of your competitors but can’t be patented because it doesn’t meet the basic legal standards, which are that the invention is new, not obvious, useful and eligible to be patented.
How long does trade secret protection last?
Trade secrets last indefinitely, as long as the information is maintained confidential and the holder of the trade secret continues to take reasonable precautions against disclosure.
How are trade secrets best protected?
There are many methods of protecting sensitive information. If it’s a process that involves multiple steps, a company could isolate the responsibility for each of those steps across multiple locations so the entire process isn’t carried out in one place and a single person isn’t privy to the entire production.
It’s also fairly common to include confidentiality agreements and nondisclosure clauses in employment contracts for not only employees who might be aware of a trade secret in its entirety, but also for employees who may have only some knowledge of the process. Companies with such sensitive information should work with a business attorney to put together those agreements.
What can be done if a trade secret is leaked?
If the trade secret was misappropriated — obtained illegally or otherwise improperly disclosed — there are steps that can be taken to prosecute the perpetrator. The Uniform Trade Secrets Act, the general framework of which has been enacted by 46 U.S. states, offers remedies when a trade secret is acquired through improper means or through a breach of confidence. This can provide some relief to a trade secret holder in the form of injunctive relief (e.g., stopping the use of a misappropriated trade secret), monetary damages and/or attorney’s fees.
However, if the information is developed independently or introduced to the public lawfully, nothing can be done. Further, if the secret that was being held is a patentable idea, another company or individual could secure the rights to it and bar others from acting on it. That’s why it’s important to carefully consider what you hold as a trade secret; if it can be easily reverse engineered it’s not right for trade secret protection.
Regardless of whether the secret got out legally or illegally, once it’s widely disclosed the remedies under the law might not be sufficient to make a company whole again — once it’s out, it’s out. The trade secret holder ultimately has an obligation to take reasonable protective measures to guard its secrets.
Daniel R. Ling is an associate at Fay Sharpe LLP. Reach him at (216) 363-9000 or [email protected].
Insights Legal Affairs is brought to you by Fay Sharpe LLP.
