Trade Secret Protection is a very old legal principal, however there is no clear definition of precisely what trade secrets are. Case law must be heavily relied upon to establish what can be considered a trade secret. The owner of the trade secret is entitled to court protection and relief against anyone who has stolen or illegally obtained the trade secret. Magic tricks Music Processes - manufacturing, perfume, chemical, photographic, etc. Trade secrets like other property can be bought and sold.
Trade secrets can be subject to theft or misappropriation as can other types of property.
Critical to retaining trade secret protection, the owner must actively protect this property. Patent Protection Patent Law protection allows the creator of an invention, which contains new ideas, to prevent others from making commercial use of the invention without the owners permission. Patents, depending on the type of invention, last from 14 to 20 years. The founders of our nation considered patent protection to be critically important. In exchange for providing access to innovative thought and creativity of value to the whole nation, they were willing to grant the right of exclusive use of the invention for a limited time.