Any type of business litigation can be concerning for companies in California, but litigation that involves intellectual property disputes can be especially troubling. This type of litigation can get into highly technical areas, can be long and drawn out and, in reality, can impact your business significantly as the litigation plays out.
There are many different areas of intellectual property law that might be involved in such a dispute. For example, a dispute about “trade secrets” can sound particularly nefarious. Another company allegedly “misappropriated” or even “stole” your company’s trade secrets? In that case, litigation is necessary to address such a situation.
Basics about trade secrets
So, what should you know about “trade secrets”? Well, for starters, what is a trade secret? For the most part, a trade secret is information that belongs to a company that gives that company an economic and competitive advantage, and the company makes an effort to keep that information out of the hands of competitors—efforts to keep it “secret.”
Unlike other forms of intellectual property, like a patent, trade secrets don’t have to be registered or in any way officially acknowledged. However, when trade secrets are taken and used by competitors, it is usually pretty obvious to a company. And that is when an intellectual property claim is needed. In general, the burden is on the company making the claim to prove that the trade secret was wrongfully misappropriated. If you think your company might be facing a dispute about trade secrets, be sure to get the right information about your unique situation.