HOME > > LAW COULMN > Protection of Trade Secrets in Japan
What examples of “company property” would you give if a friend or a colleague asked you to do so? Typically, the term “company property” brings to mind assets such as real property, movables and human capital. Indeed, these are important parts of properties a company owns. But there is another type of asset that should not be overlooked: “information.” Information relating to a company’s business operations or technologies plays a significant role in making company competitive in the marketplace and differentiating it from other companies. This “information” normally refers to confidential information, and typically contains the company’s most valuable asset – trade secrets.It is particularly important for companies to understand how to protect their trade secrets, especially by using the available legal tools and mechanisms. To facilitate such understanding, this article comments on the definition of trade secrets under the applicable law and several types of measures that may be available in cases of unauthorized leakage of trade secrets.
