Brontosaurus Bite Pie

My staff teases me a lot about certain phrases that I repeat over and over (and over). They should. I would tease me a lot, too. That doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t keep repeating those things, though. A lot of the repeat-isms are things I say to myself even more often than I say to … Read more

Please Keep My (Trade) Secret

Talkin’ about trade secrets! While other forms of protection such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks require upfront costs and disclosure of some sort, trade secrets do not. In this article we will examine a few of the benefits that trade secret protection offers. Benefit One – Trade Secrets Protect Information That Other Forms of IP Protection Do … Read more

Strong Foundations: IP webinar series

We want you to start your 2021 armed with knowledge! Strong Foundations is a presentation series to help owners of companies build their knowledge of key legal concepts and then use this knowledge to grow their companies on those strong foundations.  This first series will discuss intellectual property including trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets and contracts relating to … Read more

The Anatomy of a Non-Disclosure Agreement

Last week we posted a video about Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA/s) and how a common mistake in their drafting could put your Company’s trade secrets at risk. Now, we’re following up with this blog post to point out the key provisions to keep an eye out for. Remember: Trade Secrets are protected by statute and can … Read more

A Hard Lesson in Trade Secrets

Full Disclosure: If you want to read the source article that gave rise to this post, you can do so here: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/23/how-sex-drug-promescent-sparked-a-150-million-legal-battle.html. I would categorize it as “kinda-NSFW,” but probably not something you want to have up on your screen should your boss be doing laps around the office. Under Wis. Stat. Sec. 134.90(c), a “trade … Read more

Rock and Hard Place: Non-competes for new employers

Non-compete and non-solicitation provisions have been in my mind lately.  Almost like I had a presentation on them recently. Usually, I get asked by employees about the limitations placed on them and by employers how they can use this tool to be fair to employees and contractors but still protect the company’s assets.  A question … Read more

Shh, I Have A Secret

Ongoing disputes between Fitbit and Jawbone claimsthat Fitbit hired Jawbone employees, who in turn took Jawbone trade secrets and brought them to be used at Fitbit.  Last week, a U.S. International Trade Commission judge ruled that Fitbit did not steal any of Jawbone’s trade secrets.  Earlier, I wrote about protecting a trade secret, but what … Read more