Experience > Damage Analysis > Trade Secret Theft

In today’s business environment, most thefts of trade secrets involve electronic information. Our computer forensic skills often solve liability allegations. In the damages analysis area, we quantify the harm that has occurred, calculate the benefit received from the stolen trade secrets, and value the technology involved.

Representative Projects

• On numerous occasions, forensically examined computer for indication of unauthorized use/copying on either the former employer’s computers, and/or the replacement employer’s computers. See Computer Forensics for examples.
• On numerous occasions, determined sales and profits from (i) certain lost customers under a lost profit recovery, and/or (ii) certain gained customers under a disgorgement recovery.
• On numerous occasions, valued trade secrets based on the premise of “reverse engineering” or a “head start”.
• In a theft of trade secrets case, performed multiple regression analyses to examine customer selling patterns on a before and after basis and to determine what economic quantifiable effects (if any), the alleged secret information had on product sales of both parties.
• Defended a company accused of theft of trade secrets by the former employer of several of the company’s executives and sales personnel. The claim was based on trade secrets related to the development of the product as well as the customer lists of the plaintiff. We were able to refute plaintiff’s damage claim based on a customer comparison that showed very few of the customers of the new company matching to the former company. In addition we were able to refute the value the plaintiff placed on the trade secrets related to product development.