Confidential Information

Protecting Business Secrets

The law of confidential information forms an important part of the law in the UK to safeguard business information and relationships between contracting parties. The right to protect confidential information arises where a contractual relationship exists between the parties or where a disclosure of information takes place in circumstances where a reasonable person would have thought that the disclosure was confidential.

Non-disclosure agreements are often used to guard against unauthorised disclosures in the course of negotiating a larger project, such as development of computer software, sales of businesses, licensing of intellectual property, research and development agreements, product design collaborations and other arrangements where the parties prefer to be satisfied that what is communicated remain between known persons.

In the employment context, confidentiality is a fundamental part of relationships with employees and contractors to ensure what is the business of a company stays the business of the company. Further, there are instances where confidentiality is presumed, such as the affairs of a company and communications between directors of a company in respect of the affairs of the company.

Confidential Information Legal Advice

Our law firm reviews and advises on:

1. the strength of contractual confidentiality provided for in draft contracts;
2. reviewing draft contracts to ensure that the promise of confidential is properly recorded in the agreement;
3. disclosures for specific and isolated purposes;
4. circumstances where a duty to keep information confidential has arisen;
5. types of information which are protectable;
6. bolstering confidentiality obligations protections in commercial and business contracts;
7. the interface between confidential information and registered intellectual property rights;
8. licensing information to others as part of a wider exploitation programmes;
9. managing disclosures of information, so as to ensure that confidentiality in the information is not lost forever.

In addition, we prepare and provide legal advice on:

• licensing of know-how, trade secrets  and confidential information
• confidentiality of information produced as a result of research and development contracts;
• whether the secrecy provisions are appropriate for various types of agreements;
• consultancy agreements and the sorts of confidentiality provisions which ought to be incorporated;
• incorporating confidentiality provisions in commercial and business oriented contracts.

Our law firm has vast experience providing legal advice on recourse available where unauthorised disclosures and misuse have taken place, and what to do about it. Contact our lawyers to find out how we can be of help.

London Business Solicitors & Lawyers

Our Solicitors in London assist businesses in the UK and internationally to create options, achieve realistic and attainable goals, and providing guidance to assist decision-making in a commercial context.

For more information, legal advice or to find out more about the legal services we provide, call 020 7353 1770 or contact us online.