Although sometimes overlooked, trade secrets are an important part of a company’s intellectual property portfolio. Boulware & Valoir are guided by the principle that a comprehensive strategy must include systems for identifying, evaluating, and protecting trade secrets, while maximizing their value. This is difficult because trade secret protection often comes from its status as a secret or confidential information.
We have assisted clients in protecting valuable customer and vendor lists, business processes such as customized manufacturing techniques, and engineering designs. We have also assisted clients in protecting trade secrets shared in joint ventures or other collaborative arrangements under non-disclosure agreements when the other party misuses the shared information.
We offer a comprehensive range of trade secret law related services including, for example:
- Trade secrets litigation services
- Trade secrets identification and evaluation services
- Trade secrets and know-how licensing/cross-licensing
- Competitive intelligence reviews/policies
- In-house trade secrets retention policies
- Due diligence investigations
- Employee entrance/exit counseling
- Employee training policies
- Compliance review/policies
- Non-disclosure/non-compete/non-solicitation agreements
- Trade secret litigation and enforcement
Identifying trade secrets within a business is only the first step to protecting it. We tailor protections to the unique needs of each client’s business to prevent misappropriation by an employee or competitor. Careful protection of trade secrets can make litigation more efficient and less expensive should a trade secret fall into the wrong hands.
