Trade Secrets

A trade secret is a type of intellectual property that has economic or other intrinsic value and is not generally known or easily accessed by others, either inside or outside of a business.

Trade secrets can comprise things as diverse as customer lists, formulas or recipes, designs, practices, manufacturing processes, and computer software codes, among other things, that a company wishes to keep secret in order to maintain a competitive edge and prevent copy’s.

Unlike patents, copyrights, and trademarks, trade secrets can be protected without registration but must meet three qualifications in order to do so:

* truly be a secret
* have commercial value
* have been subjected to intentional measures designed to protect it

Connor Lee & Shumaker attorneys are experienced both in state and federal court with the myriad issues involved in the protection of trade secrets. As one of a select few law firms in the Austin area with deep experience in The Defend Trade Secrets Act, our attorneys can help identify trade secrets, advise on the proper steps necessary to defend them, and prepare legally binding non-disclosure/confidentiality agreements preventing current and former employees from revealing the secret to competing companies, the media, or others.

We can also advise on requisite measures for the hiring of new employees to prevent a competitor’s proprietary information from being introduced in-house and subjecting your company to trade secret litigation.

If you’re seeking protection for your company’s trade secrets, or otherwise need experienced trade secret litigators, contact Connor Lee & Shumaker. Our attorneys can enforce existing agreements, draw up new ones, and hold competitors overstepping the bounds of legitimate trade secrets to account.