Trade Secrets Protection in U.S. and China Becomes More Salient

In this age of technological disruption, companies in just about every kind of business are under intense pressure to protect their intellectual property. Whether in artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, or life sciences—to name just a few—the competition to stay ahead has never been fiercer.

At the same time, it's never been easier for intellectual property to slip into the wrong hands. In our globalized, interdependent, and decentralized business world, companies must share their secrets with employees and business partners, who come and go. On top of that, unlimited amount of proprietary data can be downloaded onto a disk drive in a matter of seconds.

Just about every company operating in the global marketplace has to decide: How are we going to protect our most valuable intellectual property? The patent system has long provided a well-worn path. But applying for patents is often burdensome. Even if a company is granted a patent, protection doesn't last forever.