Defining, Protecting and Litigating Trade Secrets: A Roundtable Discussion

This roundtable transcript features a discussion by Joseph A. Dougherty of Buchanan's Litigation Section, as well as Jonathan M. Darcy of Gibbons PC; Michael R. Greco of Fisher & Phillips, LLP; John M. Neclerio of Duane Morris, LLP; Walter S. Peake of Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.; and Marguerite S. Walsh, Littler Mendelson, PC.

Topics include:

• How to define a trade secret and why trade secrets can be valuable to a company.
• How a company can legally obtain information about its competitors.
• How a company should form and implement a trade secret protection policy, including protective measures such as the use of restrictive covenants for vendors and employees.
• What steps a company should take when hiring an employee from a competitor when trade secrets are involved.
• How a company can enforce its trade secret rights and ultimately recover damages.