Tag Archives: Trade Secrets
Protecting Your Trade Secrets Starts with Knowing What They Are
Small business owners are the hardest-working people around. They are usually either the ones who unlock the door in the morning, or the one to lock up at night – or both. But keys and doors only protect so much: are your most valuable assets — your trade secrets — protected 24 hours a […]
What Flavor is your NDA?
By Andrew Jacobson Ah, the conundrums of a child’s summer: butterscotch, or strawberry? Mint chocolate chip, or triple fudge? Cone or cup? Businesses have their less-tasty choices, but they are still there: what flavor is your non-disclosure agreement? There are almost as many options for NDAs as there are at your local ice-cream store. […]
What Flavor is your NDA?
By Andrew Jacobson Ah, the conundrums of a child’s summer: butterscotch, or strawberry? Mint chocolate chip, or triple fudge? Cone or cup? Businesses have their less-tasty choices, but they are still there: what flavor is your non-disclosure agreement? There are almost as many options for NDAs as there are at your local ice-cream store. […]
Game of — Pawns?
The FBI tells the story of Glenn Shriver, a former college student from Michigan who learned Mandarin and lived in China in 2004. He made some friends who encouraged him to find a job with the US government. He received some $70,000 merely to apply for such a job, but by the time the FBI arrested him, he realized that his friends were actually intelligence agents wanting to place a mole inside US agencies.
National agencies are not the only targets. US companies are also subject to foreign espionage. Just last month, the Justice Department announced indictments of five members of China’s military for stealing US companies’ trade secrets.
Now That’s a Hallmark Moment
When you think of Hallmark, you often think of the word “giving.” In a recent case, though, Hallmark will be doing the getting: a repayment of a substantial severance package by a former executive who later used Hallmark’s trade secrets to compete against it. As the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeal explained in Hallmark Cards, […]
The Cinderella of Intellectual Property
Law regarding trade secrets has long been seen as the ugly step-sister of intellectual property. Patents, trademarks, and copyrights have traditionally been held to be federal concerns, while trade secrets have been seen as principally protected by state laws. Now, two senators want to allow the trade secret Cinderella into federal court by introducing a […]
When Cease-and-Desist Means Start Right Now
Confronting claims in a cease-and-desist letter head-on will be cheaper in the long-run than burying your head in the sand. A cease-and-desist letter is a code for starting things right away.
An NDA Can Save the Day
Bay Oak Law’s Laura Koch provides a timely reminder about the importance of Non-Disclosure Agreements: NOOK Lawsuit Demonstrates the Importance of Non-Disclosure Agreements Barnes & Noble, Inc. (B&N) has failed to persuade a federal judge to end a lawsuit regarding its NOOK® eReader. Spring Designs, Inc. claims that the corporate giant used its confidential information […]
A Story, Short & Sweet, About Covenants Not to Compete
Business lawsuits can grind on for a long time, and become very expensive. While many lawyers like that, most clients prefer something short, and preferably very sweet, in the sense of winning at the end. Twice, though, I have been involved in cases that were short and sweet for our clients. The area of law […]
