With continued rapid technological developments, employee mobility, and the introductions of social media and cloud computing, trade secret issues are growing exponentially in the United States. Companies need to be prepared for investigations and litigation involving trade secret across the world, but especially within the United States. In this presentation, we will talk about trade secrets, restrictive covenants, and non-compete agreements in the U.S., including recent trends in litigation and the recently enacted Defend Trade Secrets Act.
Japan and China have developed a complicated set of laws including civil, administrative, and criminal ones to protect trade secrets. But enforcement of such laws is not straightforward. Compared with trademarks and patents, it is more difficult to protect trade secrets in Japan. Despite the difficulties, it is still possible to protect trade secrets.
In this presentation, Kurt Kappes, Yuji Ogiwara, Joe Lin, and Mitsuru Tadatsu, will talk about the legal landscape, trade secrets and risks, non-compete agreements and some tips for protecting trade secrets in United States, Japan, and China.