WIPO Guide to Trade Secrets and Innovation

Acknowledgments

The preparation of the WIPO Guide to Trade Secrets and Innovation, including editorial work and design services, was funded by the Funds-In-Trust received from the Republic of Korea (FIT-Korea). The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) expresses its sincere gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Korea for its generous and outstanding support given throughout the process, from the conception to finalization of the publication.

This publication was prepared under the general auspices of WIPO Director General Daren Tang, the Patents and Technology Sector led by Deputy Director General Lisa Jorgenson, as well as the Patents and Technology Law Division led by Andras Jokuti.

The WIPO Guide is the result of the invaluable collective efforts of WIPO colleagues, external contributors and peer reviewers.

The publication project was led by Tomoko Miyamoto, who oversaw the project, reviewed the contents, and was assisted by Nina Belbl. Fernando Cepeda Lacouture provided research assistance. Administrative assistance was provided by Elizabeth Day and Chittima Bunyasiriphant.

The inputs from external contributors, drawn from their practical experiences and insights in the business practice with respect to trade secret protection, have proven critically important in providing solid, reliable, and practical information. WIPO expresses its highest appreciation to the following external experts who provided textual contributions to certain parts of the Guide and also reviewed the final draft: Edoardo Barbera and Federico Manstretta (Bird & Bird, Italy) on Parts IV and V, Haakon Thue Lie (Dehns and Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway) on Part VI and Stephen MacKenzie (Koch Disruptive Technologies, United States of America) and Jonas Block (at that time, IPwe, Germany) on Part VII. In addition, Emmanuel Gougé (Pinsent Masons, France) provided valuable suggestions on the use of trade secrets in different sectors.

Furthermore, WIPO extends its gratitude to James Pooley (Lawyer, United States of America) for conducting a thorough review and providing numerous thoughtful comments. WIPO also benefitted from helpful suggestions received from Caterina Strippoli (International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)) through the peer review process. It also acknowledges invaluable comments received from Roger Kampf (World Trade Organization (WTO)).

In addition, the following WIPO colleagues reviewed the draft and provided substantive inputs to the draft: Todd Reves; Michael Mbogoro; Tamara Nanayakkara; Xavier Vermandele; Heike Wollgast, Lien Verbauwhede and Andrzej Gadkowski. WIPO colleagues in the Publications and Design Section as well as Web Communication Section also provided invaluable support and advice. The Division for Asia and the Pacific, in particular, Han Gyudong, facilitated the coordination relating to the FIT-Korea.