Trade secrets are information that companies keep secret to give them an advantage over their competitors. Trade secrets must be maintained in confidence and can provide the owner with the right to prevent others from using or disseminating the protected information.
Trade secrets may include financial information, customer lists, blueprints, formulas, processing steps or similar information. Trade-secret protection can last for an unlimited duration.
State substantive law governs trade secrets, and they do not have to be registered or be issued by a government agency. Trade secrets are similar in concept to confidential business information and idea misappropriation.
What are Trade Secrets?
Thomas Joseph is a patent attorney in Pittsburgh, Pa. He maintains a solo practice in all areas of intellectual-property law. He has been practicing since 2001. Before starting his solo practice, Joseph was the General Counsel of Grant Street Group, a financial software firm. At Grant Street Group, he managed the company’s patent litigation against its primary competitors in the online-auction markets for tax certificates, foreclosures, tax deeds and municipal bonds. Joseph received a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctorate from George Washington University.
You can contact him at www.joseph-iplaw.com.
Report Abusive Comment