Data Theft of Intellectual Property

What is Intellectual Property?

Intellectual property (IP) refers to any non-tangible creations of the human mind that have commercial value and receives legal protection. While IP may seem like a far-off concept, your company almost definitely has valuable IP. Anything from client lists to software is considered IP and consequently can be stolen.

IP theft can happen in a variety of ways:

  • Cyberattacks from overseas.
  • An insider leaking information.
  • An employee leaving with information.

One of the most common instances of IP theft is when an employee takes sensitive company information with them when they leave the company – either intentionally or accidentally.

What should I do if I suspect IP theft has occured?

If you suspect this has occurred, we recommend that you contact us as soon as possible. With IP theft cases, it is very easy for critical information to be overwritten.

For example, if you take a look at what is stored on the computer by powering it on and accessing files, you could alter the dates and other crucial metadata – making the investigation far more difficult.

To ensure that the maximum amount of data can be successfully retrieved from the device by our computer forensic expert, there are a few steps you should take as soon as you suspect IP theft has occurred to prevent the contamination of any data.

  • Disconnect the device from the network, wireless or LAN, to prevent remote access to the device and leave the device in the power state you found it in. For example, if the computer is on, leave it on.
  • Ensure that the employee’s login credentials are disabled or have been changed, but do not reassign the device to another employee as this may irreparably destroy digital data.
  • If the employee also has a cellular device, place it on Airplane mode and store it in a secure location.

How can we help?

We’ll be with you every step of the process We believe that eDiscovery doesn’t end at the digital forensic analysis, which is why we additionally provide hosted eDiscovery review for all your legal needs. Learn more about our IP services and hosted review options.

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