Although the protection strategy has changed, the answer is yes. Until recently, software patents accounted for about half of all utility patents issued by the USPTO. Application of a 2014 U.S. Supreme Court case, Alice v. CLS Bank, effectively slammed the door on this practice. Likewise, software patents issued prior to this decision have been […]
Widerman Malek Law Blog
What is a trade secret?
Special sauces, secret ingredients, secret inner workings, special ways to train employees; we come in contact with products and brands that have these trade secrets every day. These trade secrets are what make that product so special. Have you ever wondered how a company legally protects those trade secrets? In almost all states, a trade […]
How to stop employee theft
We’ve all heard stories about employees stealing products, supplies and even money from their employers. But one of the biggest issues facing today’s employer is the theft of what is sometimes considered soft assets – the client list, trade secrets, intellectual property or proprietary data. We briefly went over this topic in another article you […]
Building the Perfect Employee Agreement
It’s sometimes very difficult to draft that perfect employee agreement – you know – the kind that fully protects your rights to intellectual property and inventions created by your employees while at the same time encouraging creativity. Many employers mistakenly believe they should make the agreement overly broad – favoring their interests or make it […]
Intellectual Property: A Threat from Within
The most costly data breaches are usually those that are created by a malicious insider. These people normally have access to things external hackers generally don’t have access to, like intellectual property, which in turn allows them to get into areas only known to them and to have additional insight as to the areas most […]
WM Attorneys Support The Scott Center For Autism Treatment
The attorneys of Widerman Malek, PL attended the Evening of Hope VI this past weekend to support The Scott Center For Autism Treatment. The event is in its sixth year, and the support of our community for The Scott Center has never been stronger. The Scott Center specializes in working with children with autism and […]
IP Security Policy: Following Through
As related in earlier blog articles, a “living” intellectual property (IP) security policy involves more than just pre-hire actions and new hire orientation. IP security policy procedures must be visible and active in the ongoing work routines of management and employees. If an employer cannot demonstrate reasonable efforts to maintain secrecy, the business’s IP rights may […]
IP Security Policy: Post-Hire
Part of living an intellectual property (IP) security policy is institutionalizing a corporate culture that values and respects IP rights. Indoctrination of employees into such a culture can begin during the pre-hire process, and necessarily continues during new hire orientation.
IP Security Policy: Pre-Hire
Topics related to intellectual property routinely are neglected in daily business planning and operations (which is surprising given that intellectual property is by far the main value driver in most businesses). Take, for example, the hiring process. Businesses put a lot of time and effort into identifying employment candidates, planning and conducting candidate interviews, and orienting hires […]
Can I Patent My Food Recipe?
Family restaurant recipes are often kept secrets to protect their livelihood and fend off competition, but it is rare for restaurants or individuals to claim patents for their food recipes. Why is that? The reason is it is simply too hard to prove a recipe is new and never invented before. I mean how many […]
