Protecting Your Company's Intellectual Property: A Practical Guide to Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents & Trade Secrets

Disclosure to Government Agencies

Companies doing work with federal and state government agencies often are required to submit detailed bids that might include trade secret information. Under freedom-of-information acts, the information might then be released to others. To prevent the loss of trade secrets, the submitter should designate certain information as trade secrets. The agencies must then block the designated information out before releasing it to others. If the agency wrongfully discloses the information, the trade secret owner may sue on the basis that such conduct was a wrongful taking of its property.