Trade Secrets Protection: Litigation and Preventative Measures. An Online Course

Trade Secrets Protection: Litigation and Preventative Measures

Live Online Masterclass – Tuesday 7 October 2026 | 10:00am–12:00pm

Presenter: Iain Connor, Partner, Michelmores

Introduction

Trade secrets and confidential information are often an organisation's most valuable commercial assets. Customer lists, pricing strategies, manufacturing processes, software, algorithms, business plans and technical know-how can provide a crucial competitive advantage—but only if they are properly protected.

Unlike patents, trade marks or registered designs, trade secrets derive their value from remaining confidential. Yet they are frequently overlooked when businesses develop their intellectual property strategy, leaving valuable information exposed and making enforcement significantly more difficult.

This practical masterclass will examine the legal and commercial principles governing confidential information and trade secrets, explaining how they differ from traditional intellectual property rights and why those differences matter.

Delegates will learn what constitutes a trade secret, how it differs from ordinary know-how, the practical steps organisations should take to protect valuable confidential information, and how to maximise the prospects of successfully enforcing those rights through breach of confidence and trade secrets litigation.

Drawing on practical experience and real-world examples, the session will provide commercially focused guidance that advisers can apply immediately.

Who Should Attend?

This course is designed for:

• Intellectual property solicitors and barristers
• Commercial lawyers
• Commercial litigators
• In-house legal counsel
• Technology lawyers
• Employment lawyers dealing with confidential information issues
• Business owners and senior managers responsible for protecting commercially sensitive information

Topics Covered

• The relationship between trade secrets, confidential information and intellectual property rights
• What constitutes a trade secret?
• Trade secrets versus know-how
• Why confidential information requires a different legal approach from registered IP rights
• Practical steps to protect commercially valuable information
• Avoiding inadvertent loss of confidentiality
• Confidentiality agreements and contractual protection
• Practical issues in managing confidential information within organisations
• Prosecuting breach of confidence claims
• Enforcing trade secrets through litigation
• Practical examples and case studies

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, delegates will be better able to:

• Distinguish between trade secrets, confidential information and registered intellectual property rights
• Identify what information is capable of protection as a trade secret
• Recognise the practical steps required to preserve confidentiality and avoid inadvertently losing protection
• Advise clients on appropriate contractual and practical measures to protect commercially valuable information
• Understand the legal principles governing breach of confidence and trade secrets claims
• Recognise the evidence required to establish and defend claims involving confidential information
• Identify common pitfalls that weaken protection or enforcement
• Apply practical litigation strategies to maximise the prospects of successfully enforcing trade secrets and confidential information rights

Price and Booking

Price: £199 + VAT per organisation.

This is a per-organisation price, allowing up to an additional 10 colleagues to attend at no additional charge, even from different locations.

For organisations with four or fewer partners, a single delegate place is available for £99 + VAT.

All delegates receive:

Full recording of the session

Downloadable slides

Full course materials

Certificate of attendance (on request)

To book, simply click the booking button at the top right of this page.

Presented by Iain Connor

Iain Connor is a Partner at Michelmores and one of the UK's leading intellectual property litigators. With more than 25 years' experience, he has acted in many of the country's most significant IP disputes, including landmark cases before the UK courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union. He advises businesses on protecting, exploiting and enforcing intellectual property rights, with particular expertise in complex commercial disputes involving confidential information, trade marks, copyright and technology. His practical, engaging training style combines technical expertise with real-world litigation experience.

Important Notes about Booking

1. Please ensure that, when booking, you get colleagues' email addresses entirely correct as failure to do so will probably mean that they will not receive joining instructions

2. Payment can be made by credit or debit card or alternatively by invoice. The option to pay by invoice is below the pay by card option in the booking form

3. If you have more than 11 delegates then extra delegates are £20 each.

4. If you don't have the complete list of who will be attending you can book for those that you know will be attending and add the others at a later date

The Legal Training Consultancy

The Legal Training Consultancy is a full-service training consultancy with a large portfolio of conferences, courses and trainers. Over the years we have been responsible for putting together a vast number of law and management related conferences, webinars, seminars, videos and e-learning modules. Altogether substantially more than 2200.