(128a) Choosing Patent or Trade Secret Protection for Processes and Manufacturing Methods

Early in process development, companies are faced with the difficult choice of whether to protect their process or manufacturing method with patents or trade secrets.  Method patents can be difficult to draft, license, and assert against potential infringers, but trade secrets offer limited protection.  During this session, we will explore trends in patent and trade secret enforcement and practical considerations for choosing between trade secret and patent protection.  In addition, we will discuss strategies for identifying commercially important aspects of a process or manufacturing method and ways to optimize patent protection.