[Panel 8] The Employee Life Cycle Relating to Trade Secrets

[mission statement for corresponding Drafting Team 2: Every company must rely on its employees to safeguard its trade secrets. But, because people are fallible, those employees also pose the greatest risk to those trade secrets. And, those risks are present at every stage of the employee life cycle relationship, from the recruiting process through post-employment. All too often, companies and employees alike are insufficiently aware of the risks or how to mitigate them. It is therefore imperative that a company that wishes to protect its trade secrets properly educate itself and its employees, and train and manage its employees over the life cycle of the employee relationship. The WG12 Commentary on the Employee Life Cycle Related to Trade Secrets will develop guidelines for new employers to avoid unintentionally receiving or benefiting from the trade secrets of another company and for employees to avoid unintentionally placing their employer’s trade secret information at risk of misappropriation.