Trade Secrets andConfidential Know-how

Key contacts

Trade secrets and other confidential know-how are thelifeblood of every business and protecting suchvaluable information is no simple matter. From the EU
Trade Secrets Directive and U.S. Defend Trade Secrets
Act, to China’s Anti-Unfair Competition Law, change ishappening fast.

Dr. Anna-Katharina Friese-Okoro,
Europajuristin (University ofWürzburg),

Our global trade secrets practice can help develop
strategies to prevent misuse and will act quickly toassert or defend claims of trade secretmisappropriation.

Dr. Frederick Ch'en,For trade secrets to be protectable, reasonablemeasures must be taken to guard their secrecy. We
work closely with businesses to formulate policies andpractices, and conduct training, to prevent the misuseof proprietary information. We also assist in drafting
robust non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements,
and agreements for the license or sale of industrialsecrets.
Should a theft occur, our lawyers command theexperience, technical knowledge, and geographicalreach necessary to vigorously defend your position,
whether heard in court or by an arbitral tribunal. Over
recent years, we have led high stakes trade secrets
litigation for market leaders across the technology, life
sciences, energy, chemicals, and financial services
industries. If necessary, we can seek an injunction toprevent misuse of information.

Hamburg

Stanislas Roux-Vaillard,ParisTokyo

Joseph (Joe) J. Raffetto,
Washington, D.C.

Trending Topics
Global Trade Secrets Guide
Knowing how, when and where to
enforce your rights is essential.
Trade Secrets Toolkit

Areas of focus
IP Rights in Transactions

Related practices
International Trade Commission
Section 337

Winners of Managing Intellectual Property’s Global IP
Firm of the Year for two consecutive years (20192018), we also understand the important connections
and distinctions between trade secret and patenting
strategies, and can advise on how best to align them.
Combined with a multidisciplinary team ofemployment, privacy and cybersecurity, and antibribery and corruption lawyers in key innovation hubs
across the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific, we offer a
one-stop-shop for trade secrets owners.

Representative experience
Successfully defended a multinational electronics
company against a complaint for trade secretmisappropriation in connection with solar cell
technology – won a motion to dismiss all trade secretclaims.
Successfully defended a Taiwanese semiconductor
company against claims for trade secretmisappropriation in California state court – won a
motion to dismiss the case in its entirety.
Successfully defended a semiconductor company in ITC
proceedings alleging trade secret and patent violations
relating to PMIC technology – won a determination
protecting the vast majority of accused products.
Representing a global pharmaceutical company intrade secret litigation involving the transfer of
information by a former employee to a competitor.
Acted for a global high frequency trading business torecover business critical confidential source code froma former employee and their new employer, involving
simultaneous 24 hour search orders.
Conducted a six-month study published by theEuropean Commission on trade secrets law: completinga comparative law assessment of protection against
infringement in Member States.

Represented a European chemicals company in relation
to a trade secret misappropriation action brought inconnection with the manufacturing process of asynthetic chemical.
Represented a German machinery company in an
investigation and further legal actions against its
Chinese former employee on the basis of
misappropriation of our client’s technical know-how.
Successfully represented a biotech company relating toalleged trade secrets theft by a venture capital firm
seeking to invest in our client and a competitor.
Acted for a global chemical company in transatlantic
litigation relating to industrial secrets of a world
leading antibiotic formula.
Successfully defended a large communications
company against damages claims alleging trade secrets
misappropriation in connection with the developmentof air-to-ground telephone technology.
Represented a major software company in a caseinvolving allegations of trade secrets theft relating tooperating system software for our client's largest
computer systems.

Awards and rankings
IP Law Firm of the Year - Italy, Legalcommunity IP &TMT Awards, 2021-2018
Global IP Firm of the Year, Managing Intellectual
Property Awards, 2019 & 2018
Ranked Band 1 for IP on a Global and Europe-widelevel, Chambers & Partners, 2019Japan Foreign Firm of the Year, Managing Intellectual
Property Awards, 2019 & 2018
China Foreign Firm of the Year, Managing Intellectual
Property Awards, 2019
International IP Law Firm of the Year, ALB Japan LawAwards, 2018 & 2017

Germany - IP Law Firm of the Year, JUVE Awards,
2017
Italy - Best IP Law Firm, Toplegal Awards, 2017
Best in IP, Asia-Pacific Dispute Resolution Awards,
2016

Latest thinking and eventsNews
Negotiating cell, tissue, and gene therapy agreementswith health care organizations
NewsTop legal issues to think about in China-related
licensing transactions
NewsAI use by life sciences companies – strategicintroduction
NewsNavigating intellectual property and cybersecurity
challenges in the life sciences sector
Insights and Analysis
The rise of AI assets and what it means for intellectual
property due diligence in M&A transactions
Published Works
Exploring a new era of IP law amid the rise ofgenerative AI
Law360