As intellectual property lawyers, we often consult inventors on what the best way to protect their invention is. Most people know about the patent system. Yet, the patent laws only protect inventors for a limited amount of time (20 years from the date of filing a patent application), and to get a patent, you must disclose all of the essential information needed to make the invention. Once the patent expires, the invention becomes part of the public domain.
But what if you wanted to protect your invention for longer? And what if you didn’t want to let the public know how your invention works? The trade secret laws will protect your invention for as long as you can keep it a secret, or until someone figures out how to do it on their own without stealing the invention’s details. The problem of course is figuring out how to keep your invention secret in a way that no one can figure it out on their own.
This article from howstuffworks.com is a great read. It lists the top 10 trade secrets we wish we knew, but don’t. Many of these trade secrets have been around for decades and they are all protected by the trade secret laws.
If you believe you may have a trade secret that deserves protection, our attorneys at VCLM can help you decide what the best approach is for protecting your invention.