Stopping Trade Secret Theft

When an employee leaves for a competing organization, how can the company be sure that their information remains safe? In this case study, we will look at one Ohio company concerned about its information being held confidential by an ex-employee. The ex-employee represented to the company and its attorneys that he did not and would not use the company's information. Examination of the ex-employee's activity raised concerns and through the process of litigation, the ex-employee's computer systems were produced for examination, resulting in the finding of the company's information in its competitor's systems. The process led to a change in testimony, and a federal judge's order preventing the ex-employee from competing with the company. The case study will discuss how companies can prepare for addressing these issues.

Interhack founder C. Matthew Curtin will present at the Infosec Summit in Columbus on May 5, 2014 on the topic of investigating and prosecuting the theft of intellectual property.

The presentation is a case study from Curtin's practice involving one Ohio company concerned about its trade secrets going to a competitor by way of a former employee. Forensic analysis in the context of an expedited legal proceeding helped to identify critical information that contradicted the former employee's statements to attorneys, testimony in deposition, and testimony in a hearing. Ultimately the court imposed a noncompete upon the ex-employee.

We will conclude the discussion with lessons on how companies can prepare to protect their intellectual property and how to address the security of their intellectual property.

About Interhack

Interhack Corporation is a computer expert firm with professional practices in Information Assurance, Forensic Computing and Electronic Discovery. Interhack helps its clients throughout North America to identify and to protect their assets through information security assessments, forensic analysis, and the development of formal opinion for use in legal proceedings. Interhack is online at web.interhack.com.