(61a) Chemical Processes and Trade Secret Protection

Chemical processes are the backbone to numerous products making their way into the market in many industries. Despite the large chemical processes industry, intellectual property protection for such processes is less than clear. Companies may use patents to protect certain chemical processes; however, patent protection requires public disclosure of the process. If a company does not wish to publicly disclose its chemical process, it is left without the availability of patent protection. How then do companies keep chemical processes protected? This presentation will provide an overview of the basics of IP, specifics on trade secret law, and important trade secrets considerations for companies wishing to protect chemical processes. Speakers will also highlight several case studies addressing chemical processes trade secrets and lessons learned from those cases.