In many of our posts, we have approached business law from the perspective of a business owner whose company has been treated unfairly in one way or another. However, there are also times when a more defensive approach may be necessary. For example, you may own a company that is being taken to court over allegations of trade secret infringement. This can be a very unnerving experience and some business owners who have never found themselves in this position before may be completely unsure of how to handle the situation. However, this is no time to be unprepared.
When it comes to trade secret claims, every single case is unique. There may potentially be many different aspects of the case which you need to explore in more detail since they could impact the end result. Perhaps your company has been falsely accused of stealing trade secrets by a competitor who is mistaken or intentionally trying to bring your business down. Or, maybe someone within your company did misuse trade secrets and you are worried about the repercussions. Either way, there may be very much at stake and it is crucial to approach this case from the appropriate angle.
Depending on how the case turns out, your company could be impacted in various ways. Aside from the financial consequences, which could be significant, your business may also be hit hard in terms of public perception and relationships with key partners. Our intellectual property section goes over some other issues that relate to trade secret theft.