Any confidential business information which provides your company with a competitive edge may be considered a trade secret. In some jurisdictions, such secrets are referred to as "confidential information" or "classified information".

More precisely, a trade secret can be a formula, a practice, a process, a piece of information, a project, an instrument, a pattern or a compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable by third parties or competitors. Sales methods, distribution methods, consumer profiles, advertising strategies, lists of suppliers and clients, and manufacturing processes can also be protected as trade secrets.

Trade secret law can also be used to enhance software and data base protection.

As far as your technical inventions are concerned, effective trade secret protection is crucial before filing your patent applications. Moreover, in certain cases trade secret protection can be considered a valid alternative to patent protection. In fact, trade secret protection has potentially no time limit and depends entirely on the actual secrecy of the information protected.

Moreover, the cost of maintaining trade secrets is zero.

Trade secret protection can be as effective as patent protection. The legitimate owner of a trade secret is entitled to various forms of judicial relief which includes injunctions, account of profits or award of damages.

Our firm has a great deal of experience in this matter. We manage trade secret misappropriation cases and know-how transfer or license agreements.

The main services we provide in this field of the law are:

ADVICE

We devise general trade secret protection strategies with our clients.

We advise our clients as to whether their information can be effectively

protected as a trade secret.

We advise our client as to whether trade secret protection can be used

as an alternative to patent protection for their inventions.

We advise our clients on substantive trade secret law.

We advise our clients on how to keep their projects secret before

applying for a patent.

We assess trade secret policies and agreements and perform trade

secret due diligence.

We advise our clients on possible trade secret misappropriation cases.

LITIGATION

We conduct trade secret misappropriation proceedings in Italy.

We conduct legal proceedings for breach of know-how contracts.

We defend our clients against trade secret misappropriation allegations

brought against them by competitors or third parties.

We conduct or participate, through our network of IP professionals, in

cross-border trade secret misappropriation lawsuits.

CONTRACTS

We advise on contractual matters concerning trade secrets and know

how license or transfer.

We also represent our clients in drafting and negotiating non-disclosure

agreements and engineering agreements.