Know
it when you see it -A trade
secret is any
identified
information that
gives your business
a competitive
advantage from not
being generally
known.
Adopt
a written trade
secret policy and
communicate it to
employees – Advise
your employees of
your policy to
maintain company
secrets and have
every employees sign
a non-disclosure
agreement.
Mark
proprietary
documents – Stamp
confidential on
every page of a
proprietary
document.
Use
written
confidentiality
agreements – How
people sign clear
and enforceable
confidentiality
agreements before
providing access to
your secret
information.
Enforce
reasonable security
procedures – Use
password protection,
encryption or other
techniques to
protect information
on your computer
system; keep secret
papers and documents
in protected storage
when not in use;
return papers to
files, and files to
drawers, immediately
after use.
Shhh.
Don’t tell anyone
– Limit access to
trade secrets on a
“need to know”
basis. Don’t
discuss trade
secrets in the
elevator, at
restaurants or in
dark alleys.
Avoid
common mistakes –
Don’t leave
confidential
materials open in
conference room or
public areas.
Follow
up after disclosure
– After a
confidential
discussion, follow
up with a reminder
letter on the
confidential
treatment of your
information.
Take
appropriate
offensive actions
– If an employee
with access to trade
secrets leaves, send
a letter to his/her
new employer
reminding them of
their
confidentiality
obligations.
Consult
knowledgeable legal
counsel – Obtain
legal advice to
assist in
identifying and
protecting your
trade secrets.
