As both private and public sector cases of trade secret theft come to light, executives are seeking smarter ways to detect when their proprietary inventions may be at risk.
--- # [](https://www.innovation-asset.com/) - [Decipher®](https://www.innovation-asset.com/products-decipher) - [Services](https://www.innovation-asset.com/products/professional-services-0) - [Resources](https://www.innovation-asset.com/resources) - [Blog](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog) - [About Us](https://www.innovation-asset.com/about) - [Contact Us](https://www.innovation-asset.com/contact) # Innovation Asset Blog # Trade secret theft stirs private, public sectors by [Peter Ackerman](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/author/peter-ackerman) The logistics of trade secrets management are rarely discussed in open forums, and often times their only recognizable manifestations lie buried in the fine print of non-disclosure agreements. But as both private and public sector misappropriations come to light, executives are seeking smarter ways to detect when their proprietary inventions may be at risk. A Pennsylvania-based solar cell manufacturing partner recently [confirmed the stakes](http://www.manufacturing.net/news/2013/07/scientist-pleads-guilty-in-pa-trade-secrets-case) of high-tech intellectual property management as a former employee pleaded guilty to stealing product formulas and attempting to transfer them to a Chinese competitor. According to the Associated Press, the defendant presented a fraudulent pending employment contract in an attempt to circumvent non-disclosure agreements after resigning from the American firm. When combined with prior transgressions from his time with a separate company, prosecutors estimate that the defendant is responsible for nearly $23 million worth of stolen intellectual assets. This particular pattern of international industrial trade secret theft was highlighted earlier in the year by several U.S. government analyses. Yet ironically enough, the saga surrounding former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has revealed domestic, public sector vulnerabilities as well. According to Corporate Counsel, more organizations are realizing that their intellectual property protection plans need to [account for human factors](http://www.law.com/corporatecounsel/PubArticleCC.jsp?id=1202608807075&Detecting_Insider_Threats_to_Trade_Secrets&slreturn=20130605114206%20insider%20threats) in addition to technical indicators to promote more effective threat identification and prevention.  ### [Peter Ackerman](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/author/peter-ackerman) Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc. [July 07, 2013](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/trade-secret-theft-stirs-private-public-sectors) ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Introducing Decipher® ### Categories - [Intellectual Property Management (459)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/intellectual-property-management) - [Commercialization and Licensing (210)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/commercialization-and-licensing) - [Invention Disclosure (201)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/invention-disclosure) - [Innovation Strategy (20)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/innovation-strategy) - [Ideas for Good (6)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/ideas-for-good) - [Innovation Team (3)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/topic/innovation-team) ### News Archives - [January 2013 (26)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2013/01) - [September 2012 (25)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/09) - [October 2012 (22)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/10) - [November 2012 (22)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/11) - [November 2010 (21)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2010/11) - [February 2011 (21)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2011/02) - [July 2012 (21)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/07) - [December 2012 (21)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/12) - [January 2012 (20)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/01) - [March 2012 (20)](https://www.innovation-asset.com/blog/archive/2012/03) ##### Portland, Oregon USA ##### © Innovation Asset Group, Inc. ##### [Privacy Policy](https://www.innovation-asset.com/privacy-policy/) | [Terms & Conditions](https://www.innovation-asset.com/terms-and-conditions/) | [Contact Us](https://www.innovation-asset.com/contact/) -