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I Spy a Trade Secret: Conducting Proper Trade Secret Asset Management Review to Avoid Sufficiency Failure in Litigation
April 5, 2023 | Blog | By Nicholas Armington, Michael Renaud, Jonathan Engler
Successful defense of trade secrets in litigation begins with evaluating valuable confidential information and steps taken to safeguard it before any disputes arise. Trade secret asset management allows companies to effectively frame misappropriation or theft claims and advance arguments at every stage of a trade secrets dispute.
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FTC Hosts Forum on Proposed Rule to Ban Noncompete Clauses
March 2, 2023 | Blog | By Danielle Dillon, Marc Aspis
Avoiding Pitfalls: IP “Dos and Don’ts” for High-Tech Start Ups
February 27, 2023 | Blog | By Daniel Weinger, Frank Gerratana, Greg Penoyer
Year in Review: The Most Popular IP Posts of 2022
January 5, 2023 | Blog | By Christina Sperry
Open Question: Use of Stolen Trade Secrets May or May Not Qualify as a Predicate Act Under RICO
March 10, 2022 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Michael McNamara, Nicholas Armington, Oliver Ennis
Benefits of and Best Practices for Protecting Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Inventions as Trade Secrets
February 10, 2022 | Blog | By Marguerite McConihe, Meena Seralathan
We previously discussed which portions of an artificial intelligence/machine-learning (“AI/ML”) platform can be patented. Under what circumstances, however, is it best to keep at least a portion of the platform a trade secret? And what are some best practices for protecting trade secrets? In this post, we explore important considerations and essential business practices to keep in mind when working to protect the value of trade secrets specific to AI/ML platforms, as well as the pros and cons of trade secret versus patent protection.
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Trade Secret Misappropriation Not Sufficiently Plead Where Defendant Possessed but did Not Threaten to Disclose Trade Secret Information in Southern District of New York Case
January 25, 2022 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Nicholas Armington
Last year, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York addressed an issue of first impression concerning what constitutes “misappropriation” under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) in a decision potentially relevant to cases involving allegations of trade secret misappropriation under the DTSA against a former employee. This case is worthy of note for any trade secret practitioner and is an important reminder that when pleading alleged trade secret misappropriation, it is not only important to describe the trade secret with sufficient particularity, but also to sufficiently describe the alleged misappropriation so as to illustrate the alleged acquisition of the trade secret by improper means or disclosure of the trade secret without consent.
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Fast Track to Justice for Trade Secret Theft at the ITC: New Senate Bill Would Expand ITC Authority to Curtail Trade Secret Theft by Foreign Governments
June 23, 2021 | Blog | By Michael Renaud, Rich Gervase, Nicholas Armington
Amid the continuing threat to U.S. intellectual property rights posed by foreign actors, the International Trade Commission (ITC) is poised to become the latest federal agency to bolster protections for U.S. IP owners. The ITC’s broad power to exclude the importation into the U.S. of products that infringe American intellectual property now has the potential to be made even more robust through a new bill introduced by Senators John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Christopher Coons (D-Del.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.) on June 15, 2021, that would provide expedited relief for trade secret theft victims.
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Fact-Specific Inquiry: Deciding Between Trade Secret and Patent Protection
September 15, 2020 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Nicholas Armington
Innovations that are eligible for patent protection are often vital to a company’s revenue stream and profitability, but in some cases, opting for trade secret protection is a better strategic choice.
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Rules of Engagement: Minimizing Trade Secret Disputes when Hiring Rival Employees
September 10, 2020 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Nicholas Armington
An ethical corporate culture and clear expectations during the hiring process can help companies curtail trade secret disputes when hiring employees from rival companies.
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Strategic Considerations at the Intersection of Patent and Trade Secret Protection
September 8, 2020 | Video | By Adam Samansky
In the fourth installment of our video series on trade secret litigation, Adam Samansky discusses the importance of taking a holistic approach to intellectual property, looking at both patent and trade secret protection where appropriate.
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Playing Fair: Protect Trade Secrets from Business Partners
September 8, 2020 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Nicholas Armington
Companies can minimize trade secret theft by business partners by instituting non-disclosure agreements before sharing trade secrets and establishing general confidentiality agreements with business partners.
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Workplace Confidential: Preventing Former Employees from Using Your Trade Secrets
August 24, 2020 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Nicholas Armington
By proactively protecting trade secrets and using litigation strategically, companies can minimize trade secret misappropriation by former employees.
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Danger on the Horizon: Detecting Early Signs of Trade Secret Theft by Competitors
August 20, 2020 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Nicholas Armington
Companies can quickly detect trade secret theft by planting an unneeded feature or part that would be included in a copycat item and continually monitoring competitors’ new products.
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Keeping (Trade) Secrets Amid a Reduction in Force
August 17, 2020 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Nicholas Armington
Companies can lower the risk of trade secret theft amid a reduction in force by limiting and auditing the use of trade secrets and including confidentiality provisions in severance agreements.
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Remedies for Trade Secret Misappropriation
July 27, 2020 | Video | By Nicholas Armington
In the latest installment of our video series on trade secret litigation, Nick Armingtion provides an overview of the two types of relief available to parties who have had their trade secrets stolen – injunctions and damages.
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Playing Keep-Away: Protecting Your Trade Secrets in a Remote Work Environment
July 22, 2020 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Nicholas Armington
Companies across the United States quickly rolled out remote work arrangements in response to the COVID-19 health crisis, and as virus caseloads continue to climb, the trend is likely to continue. As working off-site becomes “the new normal,” companies can institute systems and policies to protect their valuable trade secrets.
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Protecting Trade Secrets in the COVID-19 Era
July 21, 2020 | Video | By Adam Samansky
In the second of a series of videos discussing developments in trade secret litigation, Mintz’s Adam Samansky discusses steps companies can take to implement reasonable protective measures to maintain secrecy of information in this remote work environment including confidentiality agreements, trade secret protection plans, and restricting access.
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Don’t Get Schooled: What You Can Learn from the Wave of Trade Secret Cases That Followed the 2007-2008 Financial Crisis
July 20, 2020 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Nicholas Armington
The sharp upswing in trade secret litigation triggered by the global financial crisis of the late 2000s taught companies some hard lessons about trade secret theft and disputes.
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The Trade Secret Seesaw: After the Economy Goes Down, Cases Go Up
July 15, 2020 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Nicholas Armington
An economic downturn usually leads to a rise in trade secret theft and litigation, and the current slump is likely to generate a major surge in cases due in part to the prevalence of remote work.
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