Trade Secrets Archives

Social Media and Intellectual Property (IP): Part I- Protection and Ownership

Social Media comes with a bundle of tools that differentiate it from traditional print and electronic media. Among others, two unique elements of Social Media are: Tools for sharing and dissemination of content and information across the world; and tools to communicate and exchange information. These two elements make Social Media a much more powerful weapon than traditional media. Access to most social media platforms requires internet, of which there is no dearth in today's context. It is estimated that…

November 11, 2015 BananaIP Reporter Copyrights, Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law, Patents, Social Media Law, Trade Secrets 0Comment 2422Views 0Like

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IP, Patents for Start-ups and Entrepreneurs III – Patents -

IP, Patents for Start-ups and Entrepreneurs IV – Trade Secrets and Confidential Information

Confidential Information is any information that has business or economic value because it is not known to others, and for which, appropriate measures are taken to protect secrecy. It can be any sort of information that fits into the said requirements. Business information, financial information, technical information, scientific information, plans, methods, client lists, designs, and any other such information that has economic value is protectable as confidential information, or trade secret. Protection of trade secrets and confidential information of a…

August 24, 2015 BananaIP Reporter Intellectual Property, IP for Start Ups, Trade Secrets 0Comment 586Views 0Like

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Burger King and McDonald’s: Can Taste be Patented?

Here is the next post in the series of Student Blog Contest. This post is authored by Neerja Gurnani. I recently went to the Burger King outlet that has been causing immense amounts of hype in Indian teenagers, stood in queue, got a burger, and eagerly bit into it, expecting my mind to be blown. Instead, I was greeted with a very familiar taste – that of a McDonald’s burger. This led me to ask, can taste be patented? Recipes…

March 31, 2015 BananaIP Reporter Intellectual Property, Patents, Trade Secrets 0Comment 1620Views 0Like

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Are LinkedIn Connections Trade Secrets?

This question came up in an Employer-Employee trade secret dispute before a California Court. David Oakes was working in a sales position with a company called Cellular Accessories under an Employment Agreement with a clause to safeguard the company's trade secrets. As a part of his employment with Cellular Accessories, David established more than nine hundred contacts on LinkedIn and maintained the list on his computer. The list was updated whenever a new contact was made. On leaving the company,…

January 7, 2015 BananaIP Reporter Intellectual Property, Trade Secrets 0Comment 733Views 0Like

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This image depicts a confused and hesitant man working on a computer. This image is relevant because the post talks about the possibility of maintaining trade secrecy. Click on the image to view full post

Is Trade Secrecy Always Possible?

The possibility of protection and a company's capability to protect a secret is indeed an important factor to be considered while defining the nature of protection. Though many factors may be in favor of trade secret protection over patent protection, the incapability of an organization to maintain secrecy is a very important factor and may shift the balance. The kind of information sought to be safeguarded, measures required for protection, nature of business, organization's stature, and so on play a very…