This collection comprises eighteen contemporary articles on an often overlooked, but important, field of intellectual property law: trade secrets and undisclosed information. Divided into five parts, the selected articles examine various aspects of trade secret law, including its historical development and the range of theories and justifications for trade secret protection. The material also provides a detailed exploration of the scope and limits of trade secret protection, and addresses how trade secret issues arise in a number of contexts, including employment, governmental relations, and the internet.
Trade secrets and post-contractual non-compete clauses (restrictive covenants) are intrinsically linked issues when analysed in the context of past and present employment. While trade secrets have been the object of legislation in a number of major jurisdictions during the last couple of years, post-employment restrictive covenants have been left out of such legislative activity. Still, they have come under increasing scrutiny of economists and may well come into legislative focus in the near future. As the chapters of this book highlight in detail, the approach to the protection of trade secrets, the conditions under which an employer can protect trade secrets and other business interests by way of a restrictive covenant, and the scope within which former employees by using the skills and knowledge can compete with a former employer, hugely differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. This is not only so for the effective scope, but also for the underlying doctrinal reasons, making a country-by-country comparison difficult, and a common structure of the chapters a challenge. After all, the topic involves international law (Paris Convention, TRIPS), domestic labour law, domestic sui generis protection, and, most importantly, domestic competition and unfair competition law, a field that up to now has defied all attempts of harmonisation beyond those categories as identified by Friedrich Zoll and implemented as Art. 10bis in the Paris Convention. This book features both comparative and country-specific chapters. The latter cover the major jurisdictions of Europe and Asia, while the former provide a subject-matter analysis by taking into account legislation and case law in a global context.
The Legal Protection of Trade Secrets places trade secrets firmly in the context of intellectual property rights and commerce, and considers the complex web of law and policy underlying any decision to protect confidential information from unauthorized disclosure. It considers the position from both the situation of the employer and the employee.
This book deals with IP issues from a business perspective, focuses in particular on Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs). The topics covered in the 12 modules include the importance of IP for SMEs, trademarks and industrial designs, inventions and patents, trade secrets, copyright and related rights, patent information, technology licensing, IP in the digital economy, IP and international trade, IP audit, IP Valuation, and Trademark licensing.
As technological developments multiply around the globeâ€"even as the patenting of human genes comes under serious discussionâ€"nations, companies, and researchers find themselves in conflict over intellectual property rights (IPRs). Now, an international group of experts presents the first multidisciplinary look at IPRs in an age of explosive growth in science and technology. This thought-provoking volume offers an update on current international IPR negotiations and includes case studies on software, computer chips, optoelectronics, and biotechnologyâ€"areas characterized by high development cost and easy reproducibility. The volume covers these and other issues: Modern economic theory as a basis for approaching international IPRs. U.S. intellectual property practices versus those in Japan, India, the European Community, and the developing and newly industrializing countries. Trends in science and technology and how they affect IPRs. Pros and cons of a uniform international IPRs regime versus a system reflecting national differences.
Introduction -- Intellectual property rights basics -- Global intellectual property holdings -- Contribution of intellectual property to U.S. economy -- The organized structure of IPR protection -- U.S. trade law -- Issues for Congress.
Francis Gurry's renowned work, Breach of Confidence, published in 1984, was groundbreaking and invaluable in the field of intellectual property as the first text to synthesise the then burgeoning case law on breach of confidence into a systematic form. A highly regarded book, it was the first point of resort for practitioners and a key source for judges. Aplin, Bently, Johnson and Malynicz bring us a new edition of this important work, which remains faithful to the original in its approach, but is fully updated in light of the developments since the first edition. The authors expand upon the original work, in particular adding new material on the history and current relevance of the action for breach of confidence, . The authors stress both the advantages and disadvantages of the action for breach of confidence and, like Gurry, they constantly distinguish the action from associated legislative regimes which regulate the access to, acquisition, use and disclosure of information. The book extensively references the many analyses of the data protection regime and considers also issues of jurisdiction and choice of applicable law. Bringing together their particular skills and interests, the three authors produce a fresh re-writing of a highly significant text which retains the academic quality and precision of the original and stakes its claim once more as the leading authority in the field.
The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.
