Discussions between businesses involving acquisition are highly sensitive. There can be vast sums of money involved, and the future of both entities rests on the outcome of these conversations. Thus, they must be open, honest and protected. However, situations can...
Zoom in on protecting your trade secrets during video calls
When people hop on a video call for work, their main concerns can be making sure they are muted and putting on some work-appropriate clothes so that they don't embarrass themselves. However, it could be far more embarrassing for a person to get caught revealing...
Collaborating with others? Define and protect trade secrets
Collaboration, particularly in STEM-related fields, can be vital to the advancement of technological solutions and developments. Considering the sensitive nature of all that goes into new products and ideas, confidentiality is critical to these collaborative efforts....
Protecting trade secrets: It doesn’t happen automatically
Automation and technology are among the most innovative and dynamic industries today. Global companies are competing alongside startups to deliver the newest, the best and the smartest products to consumers. In such a competitive environment, protecting proprietary...
Keeping trade secrets secure when your workforce is remote
Workplaces across Minnesota have been adjusting to the changing limitations presented by COVID-19. Some companies have closed down temporarily or permanently, while others have been able to make the transition to a fully remote workforce. While working remotely can...
Can someone steal a trade secret if it’s not a trade secret?
Proprietary information can be enormously valuable to a business. It could set the company apart, give it an edge in the marketplace, or even give the business some stability in times of insecurity. Just as proprietary information is valuable to a business, it can...
Could Minnesota ban non-compete agreements?
In previous posts on this blog, we have discussed the value of having valid non-compete agreements to protect trade secrets. However, they are not the only tool businesses have to protect confidential, proprietary information. This is important to know as Minnesota...
Enforcing a non-compete to protect IP
Having employees sign non-compete agreements restricting them from actions like working at a competing company can minimize the risk that an employee will disclose protected material to another company. Unfortunately, not every employee will comply with their...
Protecting trade secrets from departing employees
One of the times a company’s sensitive information is particularly vulnerable to theft and loss is when an employee quits or gets fired. At this point, any sense of loyalty to the company that might have prevented a person from misusing proprietary information can...
IP due diligence in corporate transactions
The strength of a company’s intellectual property portfolio often drives the value of corporate transactions. Regardless of whether you are the acquisition target or the buyer in a transaction involving IP, the due diligence process should be designed to reveal the...