The European IPR Helpdesk (the Helpdesk) has published a fact sheet providing guidance on the management of confidential information. The Helpdesk was set up by the European Commission to provide free of charge support on intellectual property issues to those taking part in research projects funded by the European Union.
The fact sheet sets out what confidential information is and how it should be assessed and protected. It also provides guidance on confidential information auditing and storage, and how to manage employee awareness.
Simon Weinberg, a solicitor in the Commercial/IP/IT team at Matthew Arnold & Baldwin LLP, commented, “The fact sheet is a helping hand for businesses, but the law in this area is different in each European Union member state; businesses should continue to take great care with confidential information and ask for local legal advice to make sure that the business is properly protected.”