Trade Secrets Costs
One of the great things about trade secrets is
that there are no filing requirements or legal fees involved in
obtaining trade secret rights. The only costs involved are the
costs for the security steps required to keep the information
secret. However, businesses must remain vigilant that the
minimal legal requirements for obtaining trade secret rights does
not result in minimal security measures safeguarding the
information.
Much more significant are the legal
fees that companies expend to enforce trade secret rights once the
secret has been misappropriated. In most trade secret disputes
we have been involved in, the misappropriation seems to occur more
due to poor communication and lax security measures than due to
malicious intent. The key is to make sure the importance of
maintaining confidentiality is stressed to all the individuals who
come to know the secret information. |