Companies in California and throughout the country may have information that gives them an advantage over the competition. This information is typically gleaned from testing and other research that it has conducted. For instance, a company might have developed a new food recipe in its corporate kitchen or developed a material that is stronger than those currently in existence. If an organization takes steps to keep certain information away from the public, it could be considered a trade secret.
A business generally has a right to protect any valid trade secrets that it has, and this right is protected in 47 states through the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. The Defend Trade Secrets Act also makes it easier for companies to protect information that they want to withhold from the public. Another way to protect secret intellectual property is to require employees and other parties to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Organizations are allowed to protect their trade secrets whether they are tangible or intangible in nature. They are also allowed to protect them whether they are stored in an online server, written down or photographed. A famous example of a protected trade secret is the formula for Coca-Cola, which is kept in a vault to ensure that no unauthorized parties gain access to it.
Reaching out to an intellectual property litigation attorney may make it easier to protect trade secrets from a competitor. It might also make it easier to successfully seek damages from employees or other parties who may have violated the terms of an NDA relating to a trade secret. By hiring an attorney, business owners can spend more time focusing on their companies and less time in court fighting off those who are trying to profit from their hard work and ingenuity.