Protecting Intellectual Property from Departing Employees

Monday, February 22, 2010, 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST

According to the 2009 Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations (EDGE) Report, 45% of employees “plan to change employers, careers or industries when the economy recovers.”

That translates into a tremendous amount of potential for companies to lose not only valuable employees – but the proprietary, confidential intelligence those employees possess.

In this economy of transition, businesses need to take steps TODAY to protect the proprietary processes and products that have made them successful, prevent competitors from obtaining trade secrets, and keep the their valued employees.

Shift Worldwide’s latest 90-minute virtual, interactive discussion features expert vPanelists with a range of perspectives from the law, corporate environment and general IP insight. They will share their expertise and take questions from attendees to provide insight into current and expected trends, and action you can use now to protect your company and yourself in the future.

Range of Topics:

• Definitions of “intellectual property,” with examples of what is and is not IP
• Employers’ rights in protecting their intellectual assets, and steps they can take NOW to protect confidential, corporate intelligence
• Legal and other actions employers can take if they believe former employees are sharing sensitive, confidential information
• How employees can protect themselves when changing jobs

Our Distinguished vPanelists:

• Erika Birg, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw, Atlanta, GA
  • Erika consults medium-sized and large public and private, national and multinational companies on revisions to employment agreements and noncompetition agreements, as well as confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements designed to protect commercially sensitive and proprietary information.
• Steven L. Jeffries, Head, Global Client HR Solutions, Infosys, Chicago, IL
  • With more than 20 years of global HR experience, Steven has extensive domestic, international, operational, start up and M&A experience. He has conducted business in 24 countries with two expatriate assignments (Brazil, Singapore) and has led the HR efforts on 12 global acquisitions and 15 business startups.
• Jessica Livingston, Managing Editor, e-bim.com, Human Resources IQ, New York, NY
  • Jessica is head of the editorial department for HumanResourcesIQ.com, SixSigmaIQ.com and CustomerManagementIQ.com. E-BIM develops educational conferences, training courses and expositions for HR executives to network and learn the latest HR developments and trends occurring in organizations today.
• Gene Quinn, Founder, IPWatchdog.com, Leesburg, VA
  • Gene is a U.S. Patent attorney, law professor and founded IPWatchdog.com in 1999. He is often used as a resource for his IP expertise in media outlets like Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the LA Times, CNN Money and various other newspapers and magazines worldwide.

vModerator:

• Paul Trout, CEO, Shift Worldwide, Chicago, IL

Who Should Attend

This will be a wide-ranging vPanel that will impact both employees and employers. Those who should attend include:

• Attorneys and law firms that specialize in patents, intellectual property, employment law and related areas
• Human resources vice presidents, directors and managers
• Talent acquisition, recruiters and related professionals
• Software developers, engineering firms, advertising/PR agencies, scientific and other research firms and related companies
• All employers who need to protect proprietary information and trade secrets
• All employees to be aware of what you can / can’t do when changing jobs

Schedule (all times in EST):

• 1:45 – 2:00 p.m.: Log on to vPanel (link is provided once you register)
• 2:00 – 2:05 p.m.: Introduction of vPanelists
• 2:05 – 3:00 p.m.: vPanel Discussion
• 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.: Interactive Q&A session

You do not need a web cam to participate in the vPanel.

Questions?