{"id":243714,"date":"2025-10-04T22:16:58","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T16:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=243714"},"modified":"2025-10-04T22:16:58","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T16:46:58","slug":"5-things-sri-lankan-businesses-should-know-about-trade-secrets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/5-things-sri-lankan-businesses-should-know-about-trade-secrets\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things Sri Lankan Businesses Should Know About Trade Secrets"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sri Lankan businesses must protect their competitive advantages, particularly because of the advent of<\/span> globalization<\/span><\/a>, digitalization, and cross-border trade that offer opportunities and drawbacks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Patents, copyrights, and trademarks are common forms of value-generating intellectual property (IP). But so, too, are trade secrets. The thing is, however, that trade secrets are often underappreciated and underprotected.<\/span><\/p>\n

A<\/span> trade secret<\/span><\/a> is any confidential business information that gives a competitive edge\u2014anything from customer lists to exclusive ways of producing things. Unlike patents, trade secrets aren’t subject to public disclosure. In fact, trade secrets lose their enforceability if they’re disclosed, whether intentionally or mistakenly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Businesses that have specific questions about trade secrets should talk to a<\/span> trade secrets expert<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019ll help to navigate the process of identifying and protecting IP.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What follows are five things that Sri Lankan companies should know about trade secrets.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. What is a Trade Secret?<\/span><\/p>\n

Some Sri Lankan companies, and especially<\/span> SMEs<\/span><\/a>, remain uncertain about what kind of information constitutes a trade secret. In general terms, trade secrets can involve things like the following:<\/span><\/p>\n