Protecting IP and Trade Secrets in a Time of Supply Chain Shortages

Summary

泰瑞尔·米勒，作为Foley and Lardner LLP的知识产权合伙人和注册专利律师，在采访中讨论了供应链短缺期间如何保护贸易秘密和知识产权。他指出，由于劳动力短缺和供应链中断，对专业工具的需求增加，为不诚实的竞争对手或公司提供了复制或仿制设备的机会。米勒强调，企业需要确保其贸易秘密得到内部和外部的保护，包括与员工、供应商或承包商的合同保护。他还建议，对于无法通过贸易秘密保护的信息，应考虑专利保护，并在关键市场国家进行专利申请。此外，他还提出了许可设备而不是直接出售，以保持对设备使用的控制。

Takeaways

• 🛠️ 在供应链短缺时期，公司更容易遭受敏感技术被盗的风险，主要原因是劳动力短缺和供应链中断。
• 🔍 特定行业如油田行业对专业工具的需求增加，这为不法竞争者提供了复制或仿制设备的机会。
• 🤔 短缺情况加剧了潜在买家可能购买假冒或未经授权设备的可能性，他们可能故意忽视真实性问题。
• 🏢 威胁可能来自公司内部员工，也可能来自第三方，如竞争对手或分销商，他们可能在寻找替代品。
• 📈 公司可能因为急需工具而忽视知识产权保护，采取“故意无知”的态度。
• 🔑 保护知识产权的关键在于保护贸易秘密和专利，确保这些信息不被公开或容易逆向工程。
• 📝 合同中应包含禁止逆向工程和保护贸易秘密的条款，以防止信息泄露给竞争对手。
• 📁 贸易秘密的保护需要内部管理和外部合同的双重保障，比如密码保护文件等。
• 🌐 专利保护是保护创新工具的重要手段，需要在相关市场或潜在市场所在国家进行申请。
• 📚 公司应考虑通过许可而非直接销售设备，以保持对工具使用的控制权。
• 📈 在国际或全球供应链中，某些国家可能不尊重外国知识产权，使得知识产权保护和执行更加困难。

Q & A

为什么当前供应链短缺时期，公司更容易遭受敏感技术被盗的风险？

主要原因是最近的劳动力短缺和供应链中断。这增加了对专业工具和设备的需求，特别是在油田等行业。当这些工具和设备出现短缺时，不诚实的竞争对手或公司，甚至有时是自己的分销商，可能会寻找机会复制这些工具和设备，并将其推向市场，通常对合同保护和知识产权保护视而不见。

供应链短缺如何加剧了技术被盗的风险？

短缺意味着潜在买家可能更愿意忽视问题，不提出正确的问题，表现出一种故意的无知态度，他们可能知道通过询问一些问题就能发现他们想要购买的设备或工具不是正宗的。

技术被盗的风险主要来自哪里？是公司内部员工还是第三方？

风险来自两个方面：一是内部员工可能在从一家公司转到另一家公司，特别是竞争对手时，可能会带走一些商业秘密或专有信息；二是随着需求的增加，特别是在油田行业，公司迫切需要设备，因此可能会寻找第三方供应商来复制这些工具，而忽略知识产权保护。

如何通过合同保护来防止技术被盗？

可以通过与分销商或客户签订合同时包含禁止反向工程或试图了解商业秘密的条款来保护。此外，还可以考虑将设备作为租赁或租赁安排许可出去，而不是直接出售，这样可以保持对设备使用的控制。

专利保护在防止技术被盗方面扮演什么角色？

专利保护对于保护那些已经公开、分销商和客户可以看到并可能反向工程的工具和设备至关重要。专利可以保护那些有用的发明，这些发明不受商业秘密保护，因为它们已经被公开。

为什么需要在多个司法管辖区申请专利保护？

专利保护是地域性的，仅在申请保护并获准的国家有效。如果只在特定国家如美国有保护，那么在加拿大、墨西哥或其他地区则不受保护。因此，需要在预计市场发展的国家或地区申请专利保护。

在全球化的供应链中，哪些地区的风险特别高？

某些国家可能对外国知识产权的尊重不如发达国家，甚至一些发达国家也不真正尊重外国知识产权保护。此外，这些国家很难执行知识产权，因为当地法院可能不愿意损害本国经济，去执行针对本国企业的外国知识产权。

在当前供应链短缺时期，公司应如何加强保护商业秘密和知识产权？

公司需要确保他们正在采取的保护措施得到彻底实施。这包括保护商业秘密，确保与分销商或客户的合同中包含禁止反向工程的条款，考虑通过许可而非直接出售设备来保持控制权，以及确保在关键司法管辖区申请并维护专利组合。

如何确定哪些司法管辖区需要专利保护？

需要有前瞻性地考虑市场可能发展的国家或地区，并在这些地方申请专利保护。如果设备或工具是创新的，并且尚未在市场上以你试图专利的形式推出，就需要预测市场发展的方向。

在供应链短缺时期，公司如何平衡对工具和设备的需求与知识产权保护？

公司需要在确保业务运营的同时，采取额外的措施来保护其知识产权。这可能包括加强内部保密措施、与员工和合作伙伴签订更严格的合同，以及在关键市场申请和维护专利。

为什么说保护知识产权不仅仅是采取额外的步骤，而是确保现有措施得到彻底实施？

因为许多公司在正常情况下已经采取了一些保护知识产权的措施，但在供应链短缺时期，这些措施可能需要更加严格和全面地执行，以确保在高风险环境下仍然有效。

Outlines

00:00

🔒 供应链短缺下的知识产权保护

本段落讨论了在供应链短缺时期，公司如何面临敏感技术被盗的风险。Tyrell Miller，Foley and Lardner LLP的知识产权合伙人和注册专利律师，指出了劳动力短缺和供应链中断导致的对专业工具的需求增加，这为不诚实的竞争对手或公司提供了复制或仿制设备的机会。此外，买家可能因为急需工具而故意忽视真伪，导致对知识产权保护的无视。

05:01

🛠 知识产权风险来源及保护措施

Tyrell Miller提到，知识产权的威胁既来自内部员工可能将商业机密带到竞争对手公司，也来自外部第三方，特别是在工具和设备需求增加的情况下。他强调了保护商业机密的重要性，包括与员工、分销商和客户签订保密合同，以及考虑通过专利保护那些无法通过商业机密保护的创新。此外，他还提到了专利保护的地域性，建议在市场可能发展的国家申请专利保护。

10:02

🌐 全球供应链中的知识产权挑战

Miller讨论了国际供应链中知识产权保护的挑战，特别是某些国家对外国知识产权保护的不尊重以及在这些国家执行知识产权的难度。他建议公司不仅要保护商业机密，还要通过合同条款防止逆向工程，并考虑通过许可而非直接销售来控制设备使用。最后，他强调了在关键司法管辖区拥有强大专利组合的重要性，以及预测市场发展并相应地申请专利的必要性。

Keywords

💡贸易秘密

贸易秘密指的是不为公众所知的商业信息，具有商业价值并由持有者采取保密措施的信息。在视频中，贸易秘密是保护公司免受技术盗窃的关键，尤其是当供应链短缺时，防止竞争对手或分销商复制或仿制工具和设备。例如，可口可乐的配方就是一个著名的贸易秘密，它不公开具体的配方，但公开成分列表。

💡知识产权

知识产权是指创造者对其创作的智力劳动成果所享有的一系列权利。视频讨论了在供应链短缺期间，公司如何保护其知识产权，特别是专利权，以防止技术被盗。知识产权保护在视频中是一个核心主题，强调了保护创新和发明的重要性。

💡供应链短缺

供应链短缺指的是在供应链中由于各种原因（如生产中断、物流问题等）导致的产品或服务的供应不足。视频中提到，供应链短缺增加了对特定工具和设备的需求，从而为不诚实的竞争对手提供了复制或仿制设备的机会。

💡专利律师

专利律师是专门从事专利法的法律专业人士，他们帮助客户申请、维护和执行专利权。Terrell Miller作为专利律师，在视频中提供了关于如何保护公司知识产权的专业建议。

💡专利保护

专利保护是指通过专利法授予发明者对其发明的独家使用权，以防止他人未经授权的使用、销售或进口。视频中强调了在关键司法管辖区申请和维护专利的重要性，以保护公司的创新不被仿制。

💡合同保护

合同保护涉及在合同中包含特定条款，以保护公司的贸易秘密和知识产权。视频中提到，公司需要确保与分销商或客户的合同中包含禁止逆向工程和保护贸易秘密的条款。

💡逆向工程

逆向工程是一种分析产品以了解其工作原理的过程，通常用于开发兼容部件或改进设计。在视频中，逆向工程被视为一种威胁，因为未经授权的逆向工程可能会侵犯公司的贸易秘密或专利。

💡许可协议

许可协议是一种法律协议，允许一方使用另一方的财产（如专利、商标或版权）以换取一定的费用或其他补偿。视频中提到，通过许可而非直接销售设备，公司可以保持对设备使用的控制，从而保护其知识产权。

💡地理风险

地理风险指的是在不同地区或国家运营时可能面临的特定风险，尤其是那些对外国知识产权保护不够尊重的国家。视频中提到，某些国家可能难以执行知识产权保护，增加了在这些地区保护知识产权的难度。

💡法律执行

法律执行涉及确保法律和法规得到遵守和实施。在视频中，法律执行的难度被提及，特别是在那些可能不愿意保护外国知识产权的国家的法院中。

💡信息保密

信息保密是指采取措施保护敏感信息不被未授权披露。视频中讨论了公司如何通过内部政策、合同条款和物理安全措施来保护其贸易秘密不被泄露。

Highlights

保护贸易秘密和知识产权在供应链短缺时期的重要性

Tyrell Miller作为知识产权合作伙伴和注册专利律师，讨论了当前公司在供应链短缺期间面临的技术盗窃风险

劳动力短缺和供应链中断增加了对专业工具的需求，为不法竞争者提供了复制设备的机会

短缺情况加剧了潜在买家可能购买假冒或未经授权设备的可能性

内部员工和第三方可能成为技术盗窃的风险来源

信息或贸易秘密是生产物理设备的关键，而不仅仅是设备本身

专利保护对于公开市场上的设备至关重要，因为它保护了不受贸易秘密保护的有用发明

专利保护是地域性的，只在申请保护的国家有效

在全球化供应链中，某些国家对外国知识产权的尊重程度较低，执行难度大

公司需要确保贸易秘密得到充分保护，包括与分销商或客户的合同中包含反逆向工程条款

考虑通过许可而非直接销售设备，以保持对设备使用的控制

强调了在关键司法管辖区拥有强大专利组合的重要性

建议公司在市场发展或预期发展的国家/地区保护专利

强调了前瞻性思考，预测市场发展方向的重要性

Tyrell Miller提供了关于如何在供应链危机期间保护贸易秘密和知识产权的实用建议

Transcripts

[Music]

protecting trade secrets and

intellectual property in times of supply

chain shortages

my guest is tyrell miller he is an

intellectual property partner counselor

and registered patent attorney with

foley and lardner llp hello terrell

good morning how are you bob good thanks

so much for joining me this is a very

important topic especially we don't talk

much about what some of the

ramifications of supply chain charges

might be with regard to ip protection so

how and why do you believe that

companies today are susceptible to theft

of sensitive technology during this time

of supply chain shortages

yeah it's a great question bob and and

really

there's a lot of different reasons but

the primary ones that we're seeing and

that i think are the most relevant uh

really come from the recent labor

shortages and supply chain disruptions

it's kind of increased the demand we see

a lot with specialized tools in various

industries whether that's the oil field

industry or other types of industries

and when you have a shortage of

specialized tools and specialized

equipment

there's an there's a window there for

i guess mischievous

competitors or companies or even

sometimes your own distributors

to look at the tools that you have and

the equipment that you have that are in

short supply and look to see if there

are ways to

duplicate or replicate that equipment

and get it into the market

and a lot of times that's done with

blatant disregard to

contractual protections and certainly

intellectual property protections

but i'm wondering how the shortage

situation exacerbates that does that

mean that potential buyers are more open

to the possibility of purchasing and

on on

our purchasing

counterfeit or

unauthorized types of equipment

yeah bob i i think you're right and i

think a lot of that is

um they need the tools they need the

equipment and they're willing in a lot

of instances to maybe look the other way

and maybe not even ask the right

questions so kind of a willful ignorance

kind of scenario

where they they may know and maybe by

asking a couple of questions would

otherwise find out that the equipment or

the tools they're looking to purchase is

not authentic

so where is the threat coming from does

it come from within from employees of a

company does it come from third parties

a combination of the both where is the

biggest risk

really it's kind of a

dual risk i'd say really from internally

from employees who may

uh

maybe be transitioning from one company

to another going to a competitor and

maybe taking some trade secret or

proprietary information with them on

projects that they've worked on

but you're also seeing it now as i

mentioned with the with the shortages

and the increased demand for a lot of

these tools where companies especially

in the oil field industry they have to

have that equipment they're losing money

every day they don't have the equipment

and so those instances they're often

looking for not only competitors or

distributors but even just third-party

vendors in the oil field business that

might say

you know what i can make you that tool i

can i can make you a copy of that tool

and i can do it cheaper and a lot of

these businesses are saying

yeah

i need the tool i'm losing money what

can you get me and so again

a lot of times you're just seeing it

where

a lot of willful ignorance or ignoring

the intellectual property protections

that may be in place

because they they need the tool and they

they're willing to

kind of bend the rules a little bit to

get it so the threat here is from the

actual information or the trade secrets

that lead to the production of the

physical equipment right it's not

stealing the actual equipment itself is

stealing the information required to

produce it

that's correct and in a lot of those

instances the information is in the form

of of trade secrets um but oftentimes

when tools and equipment go out there uh

you know for there to be a trade secret

it has to truly be kept a secret and if

you can reverse engineer it or see the

information while you're out there

using the equipment whether that's a

customer or a distributor that's fair

game and so that's where you have to

look to other avenues of ip to protect

it and oftentimes that's going to focus

on patent protection right because

patents are going to protect that useful

invention

that

isn't subject to trade secrets because

you're putting it out into the public

where distributors and customers can see

it and reverse engineer it so patent

protection is important for a lot of

those tools but again patent protection

is only a jurisdictional protection so

it's it's good in the u.s and it's good

in whatever other jurisdictions you

choose to file for protection in and are

able to obtain protection so if you only

have protection in the u.s you're not

protected in canada or mexico or other

places that the copy tools may venture

but on the other hand we're talking

about a situation that is that is

crucial as a matter of course for any

manufacturer and i would think that just

in normal times

any manufacturer would would have taken

steps to protect trade secrets would

have exercised patent protection

wherever possible would be doing all the

things necessary to protect its ip

you're saying so what's the difference

now uh are there additional steps that

need to be taken that weren't taken

before that should have been taken as a

matter of course

i don't necessarily think it's

additional steps i think it's just more

of a focus on

making sure that the steps you're taking

are being thoroughly implemented

and what i mean by that is is if you

have trade secrets you need to make sure

you're protecting them you need to make

sure that your your contracts that you

have with

distributors or customers

have provisions in there that say

they're not going to reverse engineer or

attempt to learn your trade secrets uh

if you're filing for patent protection

because you don't maybe have trade

secret protection maybe it's

the type of knowledge or information

that's already public or will be public

um then you got to look and see if it's

subject to patent protection if it's

subject to patent protection you got to

make sure that you're filing broad

patents and that you're following them

in multiple jurisdictions at least

specifically in the jurisdictions where

there's a market for the equipment

i would assume the situation is worse in

cases where the supply chain is

international or global which maybe

describes just about every supply chain

today are there any particular

geographies parts of the world where

this risk is especially high

certainly i you know there are certain

countries that

um

maybe don't have the respect for foreign

intellectual property that that more

developed countries typically do and

even some developed countries that don't

really

uh look to respect foreign intellectual

property protections

um and in a lot of situations the way

they also get around it is it's very

difficult to enforce

intellectual property in certain foreign

jurisdictions um you know it's i hate to

use the term like home field advantage

but in a lot of these countries where

tools or equipment are being uh

replicated

even if you have patent protection filed

in those jurisdictions it's often very

hard to to really enforce it in a

meaningful way

because those the courts of those

jurisdictions really aren't interested

in hurting their own economy

by having foreign intellectual property

enforced against their businesses

okay so let's just reiterate i want to

make quite clear what you're

recommending that companies be doing now

in this particular time in order to

protect trade secrets intellectual

property just run down from me like some

of the main points that they need to

keep in mind

sure

the first one we'll start with is trade

secrets when you've got information that

is truly proprietary and what i mean by

trade secret is something like the

coca-cola formula where you're not

you know you're not just you're not

giving the information out publicly

right i mean coca-cola puts all the

ingredients on the side of the can but

they don't tell you the secret recipe

and that's what i'm talking about there

with trade secrets if you have something

that is

not able to be reverse engineered or

reverse engineered easily you need to

make sure you are protecting it as a

trade secret internally with your

employees and externally with any

vendors or contractors that may have

access to the information and that's

going to require contractual protections

um you know password protecting files

things like that that you would think

are normal with maintaining information

as a secret

additionally you're going to want to

look at contractual provisions against

reverse engineering

and and

you know sometimes territorial use when

you're maybe selling products

contractual provisions can can

oftentimes help get you rights where

trade secrets aren't going to aren't

going to be able to help you maybe

because the information is public or can

easily be reverse engineered

and you can also think about licensing

out the equipment almost like a rental

or a lease type arrangement instead of

outright selling it because then you're

able to still maintain control of the

equipment and tools rather than just

selling it outright

but then of course intellectual property

protections the one that's the most

important here that i'll stay focused on

is patent protection now patents are not

the easiest thing to acquire and they do

take time to get but as long as you have

a robust

patent portfolio that's covering a

particular piece of equipment or tool

that is truly innovative and subject to

patent protection you should be looking

at

particularly protecting it in the

jurisdictions and countries

where the market's going to be there or

where you think the market's going to

develop and you have to kind of have a

lot of forethought on that because

if it's something that's innovative and

new it probably hasn't been introduced

to the market yet at least not in the

form that you're attempting to patent it

so you have to kind of

you know think forward as to which

jurisdictions you think the market will

develop

so

really those are kind of the key points

you know to reiterate you want to make

sure you're protecting your trade

secrets you want to look over your

contracts and protect not only what your

employees are doing as far as as taking

information to go to a competitor maybe

a trade secret information but also the

contracts with your distributors and

customers to make sure there are

protections against reverse engineering

and you might also consider licensing

out the equipment as opposed to selling

it because then you're able to maintain

your control over how that equipment's

used and where it goes

um and then lastly of course is patent

protection and really if it's something

subject to patents getting it out there

and getting it protected in the

jurisdictions that matter to your

business terrell miller of foley and

lardner thank you for that great advice

as to how companies can protect their

protect their trade secrets and their ip

at a time when they are especially at

risk in this time of supply chain

shortage of crisis thank you so much for

being with me today appreciate it thank

you bob