On Wednesday, November 16, at 12:00 p.m. Central, Seyfarth attorneys Robert B. Milligan, Daniel P. Hart and Scott E. Atkinson will present “Trade Secret Audits: You Can’t Protect What You Don’t Know You Have,” the tenth installment in Seyfarth’s 2016 Trade Secrets Webinar series.
Trade secrets are critical intellectual property for most businesses, whether they realize it or not. The risk of trade secret theft to businesses has increased in recent years, with greater employee mobility between companies, the alarming frequency of targeted data theft attacks, and the explosion of social media and cloud computing. Companies cannot simply react to these real business risks to their data after the data is compromised. By then, it’s too late. Instead, companies should employ a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to the protection of their trade secrets and confidential information.
It is not uncommon for companies to find themselves in situations where important assets are overlooked or taken for granted. Yet, those same assets can be lost or compromised in a moment through what is often benign neglect. Authoritative sources estimate that companies lose hundreds of billions of dollars as a result of trade secret theft. At the same time, companies sometimes find themselves exposed to potential liability when they inadvertently obtain others’ trade secrets. Recent jury verdicts across the nation demonstrate the risk is real. Moreover, once the trade secret is lost, it is lost forever — along with the value the company derives from the information.
To address these recurrent issues, Seyfarth Shaw helps clients protect their important assets and effectively manage risk by conducting Trade Secret Audits. Our experience has shown that companies gain tremendous value by taking a proactive, systematic approach to assessing and protecting their trade secret portfolios through a Trade Secret Audit.
Please join us for our webinar on Trade Secret Audits, which will cover:
- Identifying trade secrets and secrecy protections
- Effective secrecy protections, including employment and non-compete agreements.
- Effective hiring and termination protocols, including effective exit interviews and termination protocols
- Employing a comprehensive approach and trade secret protection plan
- Managing and working to protect computer-stored data, including responding to emergency issues related to computer fraud and security breaches
This informative presentation will include a question and answer portion and checklists.