In 1881, Dr. Joseph Lawrence invented Listerine and it remains the #1 best selling mouthwash. Later that year, Dr. Lawrence sold the secret formulation to a pharmacist named Jordan Lambert. The contract drafted in this exchange required Lambert to pay Dr. Lawrence a royalty based on volumetric sales for as long as Listerine was sold.Continue reading “Contract Drafting: It’s All in the Details”
Category Archives: Trade Secret
Chinese National Working for Monsanto Indicted for Trade Secret Theft
A Monsanto employee was recently indicted for theft of trade secrets. The Chinese national, Haitao Xiang, allegedly resigned from his position, purchased a one way ticket to China and was arrested at the airport with Monsanto trade secrets in his possession. Xiang received his PhD in agricultural engineering within the United States, following the sameContinue reading “Chinese National Working for Monsanto Indicted for Trade Secret Theft”
The Defend Trade Secrets Act: Suggested Steps for the Protection of your Trade Secrets
Written by: Hilary J. Sumner, Esq. What is DTSA? The Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) was signed into law on May 11th, 2016. This law creates the first federal civil remedy to address the misappropriation of trade secrets. Prior to the enactment of this law, civil trade secret actions were governed primarily by individual stateContinue reading “The Defend Trade Secrets Act: Suggested Steps for the Protection of your Trade Secrets”
Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) Signed into Law
Obama has signed the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA) into law. This law amends the Economic Espionage Act of 1996, creating a federal civil remedy for the misappropriation of trade secrets. It also provides an additional means of protection for intellectual property. CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE
NASA Developing First Warp Drive
NASA has been wrestling with the time constraints of space travel for years but recently a physicist by the name of Miguel Alcubierre came up a concept that may make deep space travel a reality. Alcubierre’s theory involves a “space bubble” that can travel faster than the speed of light while the ship inside remainsContinue reading “NASA Developing First Warp Drive”
Canadian Company Creates Invisibility Cloak
A Canadian business called the Hyperstealth Technology Company has recently revealed their “quantum stealth” technology. Camouflage with this detail is extraordinary and the company has elected to hold this invention as a trade secret rather than patent it. It is not surprising that such a revolutionary invention would be held as a trade secret; aContinue reading “Canadian Company Creates Invisibility Cloak”
Trade Secret Protections May Be Lost If You Fail to Take the Proper Precautions
It is imperative to have consistent nondisclosure agreements in place whenever divulging confidential information to a third party. Divulging sensitive information without having the proper contractual protections in place may limit your legal remedies. In the recent case of Gal-Or vs. US, an Israeli scientist’s inconsistencies in requiring nondisclosures and his failure to mark sensitiveContinue reading “Trade Secret Protections May Be Lost If You Fail to Take the Proper Precautions”
Theft of Trade Secrets Act Signed into Law
On December 28th, President Obama signed the Theft of Trade Secrets Act into law (18 U.S.C. §§ 1831-39). This act amends the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 (EEA) and grants federal courts much broader jurisdiction over trade secret misappropriation cases. In the past, state laws governed trade secret protection and federal jurisdiction was only grantedContinue reading “Theft of Trade Secrets Act Signed into Law”
Trade Secret Protection
Two recent trade secret decisions held that products and processes comprised of a combination of components qualify for trade secret protection even if the individual components are in the public domain. Trade secret protection may be available if the combination of these elements is not readily known or easily ascertainable. CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE