Protecting Employer Trade Secrets and Intellectual Property

Additional HR Resources Protect Trade Secrets Learn how to protect your valuable trade secrets (on CD) Discover Policy Pitfalls Audit your workplace policies before a plaintiff's attorney does Confidentiality Agreements Crafting non-disclosure agreements that stand up in court (on CD) State Law Letters What your state lawmakers have to say on this issue Federal Law News Advance warning and true behind -the-scenes federal developments Electronic Workplace Report covers employee monitoring and other workplace challenges

Fierce competition epitomizes today's global business environment. Companies strive to maintain every possible competitive advantage over their competitors. Similarly, they seek to ensure the maximum return from their investments -- whether in new products, new customers, or employee training.

The loss of any of those advantages, no matter how small, can have real consequences to a company's bottom line. Today, an employer's competitive edge increasingly consists of "intellectual property" -- that is, technical know-how, customer lists, and other intangibles. Fortunately, well-counseled employers can minimize the extent of the loss by taking preventive actions.

Related articles on Trade Secrets
Trade Secrets tools for Employment Law Letter subscribers

Restrictive covenants and confidentiality provisions
Restrictive covenants and confidentiality provisions generally provide the most effective means to protect those important advantages and investments. Restrictive covenants can encompass a number of different types of restrictions from non-compete agreements to non-solicitation agreements to anti-raiding provisions.

Audio Conference: HR Confidential: New Ways to Protect Trade Secrets

Further protection of employer trade secrets
Most states have enacted statutory protections for trade secrets (some states continue to recognize common-law trade secret claims in addition to the statutory claims, while other states find the common-law claims preempted by the statutory claims). The statutory language may vary depending on the state, but the protections generally are similar across states.

Not all confidential information rises to the level of a trade secret, but many laws define "trade secret" broadly to include formulas, customer lists, financial information, and manufacturing processes.

Likewise, most statutes don't require that companies take the best effort to maintain secrecy -- which often would be a restrictive covenant or confidentiality agreement -- but instead require only "reasonable" efforts under the circumstances. That means that at a minimum, access is limited to those within the organization with a "need to know" and the employer made other reasonable efforts to maintain the information’s confidentiality.

If a company can establish the statutory elements, most trade-secret statutes will allow for both monetary damages and injunctive relief. Depending on the situation, it may or may not result in a former employee being barred from working for a competitor.

State-by-state comparison of 50 employment laws in all 50 states

Bottom line
The lack of contract protections doesn't leave a company defenseless, particularly if a former employee or a competitor has engaged in bad behavior. If a company believes that a former employee's employment with a competitor will result in the loss of confidential information and/or investments and a corresponding harm to the company, it should carefully review the situation and consult with an attorney.

View all HR topics

Related articles on Trade Secrets featured in HR Hero Line

• Why Employers Can't Ignore Social Networking Sites
  (New York Employment Letter, September 2009)
• Employer's Guide to Writing Employee Handbooks
  (New York Employment Law Letter, August 2009)
• Losing More than Just an Employee: Protecting Confidential Information
  (Oklahoma Employment Law Letter, April 2009)
• Employee Communications in the Social Media Age
  (Virginia Employment Law Letter, September 2007)
• Restrictive Covenants: Legal Issues When Hiring a Competitor's Employee
  (New York Employment Law Letter, March 2006)
• Navigating Blogs in the Workplace: Guide for Employers
  (Delaware Employment Law Letter , March 2006)

HR Tools for Trade Secrets

• Sample Policy - Confidential and Proprietary Information
• Sample Policy - Ethics and Conflict of Interest
• Sample Policy - Contact with the News Media