(Download) "Protecting Clients' Trade Secrets: A General Practitioner's Guide (Illinois)" by J. Joseph McCoy # eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Protecting Clients' Trade Secrets: A General Practitioner's Guide (Illinois)
- Author : J. Joseph McCoy
- Release Date : January 01, 2010
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 79 KB
Description
"Trade secrets" may bring to mind mysterious formulas or techniques stamped "confidential" and kept under lock and key. Yet trade secrets can be nearly any type of valuable information, and your clients may need your help identifying and protecting them. This article shows you how. On July 5, 2006, the FBI arrested three people in Atlanta on charges they conspired to steal trade secrets from the Coca-Cola Company. (1) The individuals, including a Coke employee, attempted to sell the information to PepsiCo for approximately $1.5 million. They each received prison terms for their involvement. (2) This case illustrates the significance trade secrets have in our economy. Trade secrets are unique among intellectual property in that they can remain the property of the owner indefinitely--if successfully protected--without government administration. When patents and copyrights expire, after 20 years and 95 years, respectively, the work enters the public domain and may be used by anyone. Registered trademarks do not have a similar expiration date, but must be continuously used and diligently monitored to remain protected by federal law. These restrictions do not apply to trade secrets.