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TRADE SECRET SERVICES

Intellectual Property Portfolio Strategy
We recommend that our clients take an integrated approach to protect their intellectual property, and where appropriate, combine patent, copyright, and trade secret protection to enhance and strengthen their intellectual property rights, see Combining Patent, Copyright, and Trade Secret Protection.

Trade Secret Procedures
Special emphasis must be placed on maintaining the secrecy of a trade secret, since the value of the trade secret generally only exists as long as the secrecy is maintained. Once secrecy is lost, often times much of the value of the trade secret is forever lost. The law offers redress of wrongdoing but only if the information qualifies as a trade secret. For these reasons, it is vital that information be subject to adequate and "reasonable efforts" to both maintain the desired information as a trade secret and to maintain the secrecy of the information.

We provide analysis of your company's internal procedures for handling information that is considered to be held as a trade secret. We work with you to develop procedures consistent with the law for handling sensitive information that you desire to hold as a trade secret.

Nondisclosure Agreements (NDA)
We provide nondisclosure agreements for your specific situation covering all aspects of the need to prevent visitors, new employees, departing employees, etc. from disclosing your confidential information.

Employment Agreements
Every employee engaged in the creation of intellectual property should sign an employment agreement. At a minimum the employment agreement should assign to the employer ownership of all software and other intellectual property created within the scope of employment and should place the employee under a duty to protect the employer's trade secrets.

Custom Agreements
A variety of agreements is needed to conduct business in today's competitive marketplace. We provide agreements tailored to your specific needs, such as employment agreements, non-compete agreements, acknowledgment of obligations, independent contractor agreements, assignments, evaluation agreements, etc.