Intellectual Property Law · European Union
Protect the Trade Secrets That Keep Your Business Ahead
Your formulas, customer lists, pricing data and processes are what make your company competitive — and a single departing employee or supplier leak can hand them to a rival. We match you, free of charge, with a vetted intellectual property lawyer who drafts the right protection and acts when a secret is misappropriated.
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Who this is for
If your competitive edge lives in information, that information needs a legal shield
A trade secret is any confidential business information that derives value from being kept secret and that you take reasonable steps to protect — a manufacturing formula, a source code library, a customer database, a pricing model, a supplier list or a recipe. Unlike patents, trade secrets are not registered with any office; they are protected only for as long as they stay confidential. That makes the legal work a matter of discipline: well-drafted non-disclosure and employment agreements, access controls, and a clear plan for the moment a secret walks out the door. Across Europe, protection follows broadly similar principles under the EU Trade Secrets Directive, but the detail of what counts as a misappropriation, what evidence a court will accept and what remedies are available still varies by country, and it is that local detail a specialist lawyer manages for you.
Why businesses get exposed
Trade secret losses rarely come from hackers.
They come from people you once trusted.
A departing employee, a loose contract or a former partner can quietly move your most valuable information to a competitor before you even notice it is gone.
Secrets that were never properly protected
To enforce a trade secret you usually have to show you treated it as one — a court may refuse to help if there was no confidentiality agreement, no access controls or no record of who saw what, and by then the information is out.
Departing employees and new hires
A key employee leaving to join a competitor — or a new hire bringing a former employer’s data with them — is the most common route for misappropriation, and the first weeks after a departure are when the damage is usually done.
Weak or missing NDAs
A generic, unsigned or poorly scoped non-disclosure agreement offers almost no protection in practice, and contracts signed with suppliers, freelancers and investors can leave you exposed without ever having felt like a risk at the time.
What you get
A trade secrets lawyer who builds the protection before there’s a breach
We only match you with intellectual property lawyers who handle confidentiality, non-compete and misappropriation work regularly in your country.
Protection audit & classification
Your lawyer identifies which information genuinely qualifies as a trade secret, documents how it is protected and flags the gaps — access, storage, contracts and processes — so your protection holds up if it is ever tested.
Confidentiality agreements done right
Get non-disclosure, employment and supplier agreements drafted to your actual situation and jurisdiction, with enforceable scope, term and remedies, rather than a template that quietly fails when you need it.
Fast response to a suspected leak
When a secret appears to have been taken, your lawyer moves quickly to secure evidence, assess the legal position and seek interim measures such as injunctions to stop the information spreading while you decide next steps.
Litigation & settlement support
If misappropriation has already happened, you get representation in pursuing damages, injunctions and recovery of the information, with a clear-eyed view of what a claim is realistically worth in your jurisdiction.
Coverage
Trade secrets lawyers across Europe
The framework is broadly harmonised across the EU under the Trade Secrets Directive, but enforcement, procedure and the availability of interim measures are national matters, so the right lawyer is one who practises in your own jurisdiction. We match cases across the following countries and beyond:
Frequently asked
Trade secrets — common questions
What exactly counts as a trade secret?
Generally, information that is secret, has commercial value because it is secret, and that you have taken reasonable steps to keep confidential — such as formulas, customer lists, source code, pricing models and manufacturing processes. Whether a specific item qualifies depends on the facts and the applicable country’s rules.
Do I need to register a trade secret to protect it?
No. Unlike patents or trade marks, trade secrets are not registered. They are protected for as long as the information remains confidential and you take reasonable measures to keep it so, which is why confidentiality agreements and access controls matter so much.
What should I do if a former employee may have taken information?
Act quickly but carefully. Preserve what you know, avoid confronting the person in a way that could itself cause legal problems, and get advice from a lawyer who can assess whether misappropriation occurred and whether interim measures such as an injunction are available and appropriate.
Can I stop a former employee from working for a competitor?
Only to the extent a valid non-compete or confidentiality obligation allows, and the rules vary significantly by country and by the employee’s role. A lawyer can tell you what is actually enforceable in your jurisdiction rather than what a contract simply says on paper.
What remedies are available if my trade secret is misused?
Depending on the country, remedies can include injunctions to stop further use or disclosure, damages for the loss suffered, delivery or destruction of the misappropriated material, and in some cases publication of the judgment. The practical availability of each varies by jurisdiction.
How do trade secrets differ from patents?
A patent is a registered, time-limited exclusive right that requires you to publish the invention. A trade secret requires no registration and can last indefinitely, but offers no protection once the information is independently discovered or lawfully disclosed. The right choice depends on the technology and your commercial strategy.
Free case review
Don’t wait until a secret is already out the door
Tell us what needs protecting and we’ll connect you with an intellectual property lawyer who handles trade secret work in your country — free of charge, with no obligation to hire.