Protecting Your Company’s Intellectual Property
If you own and run a successful business, you likely have intangible assets that you need to retain in order for you and your team to thrive, such as intellectual property. After all, you may have company secrets connected to how your product is made. There are covenants in place along with protections under the state of Florida’s uniform trade secret act, which shields confidential secrets from theft.
Legal action is possible if your trade secrets were stolen by employees, customers, vendors, or another individual or party. Talk to a Tampa business & corporate law attorney about next steps.
There Are Ways to Hold Liable People Accountable
Seeking monetary recovery is possible if trade secrets have been stolen, but the business owner who had information misappropriated needs to prove there was fault. The process can become likely as the defendant will probably take steps to evade responsibility once they are accused as well.
In order to hold a person liable, they must have acquired confidential information illegally or used illegally gathered information without proper permission. It is the responsibility of the plaintiff to prove that the individual who stole the trade secrets knew the information was illegally acquired or they were aware of protection policies that were in place to keep the information confidential. Often the person who misappropriated trade secrets was an employee or vendor who had a legal responsibility to keep information confidential as well.
Examples of Possible Defenses Strategies
There are ways that defendants fight back when a business moves to secure monetary damages for trade secret thefts. They could use any of the following defenses:
- Proving the data is actually not a trade secret.
- While it was confidential, the information is now public domain.
- Businesses did not take the proper steps to protect their confidential information.
Because a defense strategy could be suggesting the plaintiff did not do what they should have to protect their secrets, intellectual property cases can be complicated and clear evidence is needed to prove a defendant knowingly took and used information that was an intangible asset, a property of the business.
Connect with a Business Lawyer You Can Trust
If you believe a customer, employee, or vendor has misappropriated your trade secrets or if you have been accused of stealing international property, you need to connect with a Tampa business & corporate law attorney. You do not need to learn the ins and outs of Florida business law. Instead, lean on a legal professional you can trust.
Do you have questions about intellectual property and legal steps to shied trade secrets? Business disputes can be settled through legal action. If your business is at risk because someone stole or used confidential information of yours, do what you can to protect yourself, your rights, your business, and your assets. To learn what options you have, reach out to the compassionate and aggressive legal team at HD Law Partners to help. When you are ready to get started, call 813-964-7878 to schedule a free consultation.
