TRADE SECRETS: DESCRIPTION

With over twenty attorneys, our Trade Secrets practice group has broad and detailed experience with a wide array of trade secret issues.  We have prosecuted and defended trade secret claims arising from corporate espionage, confidentiality agreements, license agreements, employee defections, government disclosures and other events.  We have extensive expertise in all phases of trade secrets litigation:  investigations, injunctions, protective orders, discovery, motions practice, the successful trial to verdict of trade secret claims, and appeals. 

Our lawyers also help clients develop and evaluate methods to protect trade secrets.  For example, we work with clients to develop license agreements and confidentiality agreements with employees, suppliers and customers, and to develop internal procedures, security measures and other methodologies necessary to keep proprietary information "secret."  We assist clients with the evaluation and transfer of trade secrets in mergers, acquisitions and other sales.  When there is a threat of misappropriation of proprietary information, we help our clients preserve their rights.

We also defend allegations of trade secret theft and counsel our clients on steps they can take to avoid liability from the development of new products or the hiring employees from competitors.

Our Trade Secrets practice clients range from some of the largest companies in the world to small businesses.  We have experience in trade secret matters in almost all industries, including the aerospace, defense, automotive, health care, construction, retail, real estate, information services, software, computer hardware and high technology industries.  We have litigated cases involving such disparate "trade secrets" as:

• Chemical formulas
• Cost data
• Customer lists
• Lists of employees or brokers
• Management plans and manuals
• Manufacturing processes
• Performance characteristics
• Pricing
• Product and tooling designs
• Software
• Staffing plans
• Technical proposals

Related Experience

We also have experience in related disciplines such as patent law, copyright law, the Lanham Act, government data rights, employee fiduciary duties, covenants not to compete, and various unfair trade practice and commercial disputes.