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Sometimes an inventor or business decides

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that the best way to protect their IP is

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to just keep it a secret

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from everyone else.

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These are called trade secrets,

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and they include things like formulas,

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processes, designs,

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methods of manufacturing products,

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and compilations of information.

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Some famous examples of trade secrets

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include the recipe for Coca-Cola,

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the 11-spice and herb blend used

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by Kentucky Fried Chicken,

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and Google's search algorithm.

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It's important for companies to keep their

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information safe so other people

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and companies can't use it to create

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a similar product and sell it themselves.

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Protecting trade secrets is

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a do-it-yourself process.

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One doesn't file for formal protection

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for trade secrets like they

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would for patents or copyrights.

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Owners of trade secrets simply

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keep the information secret.

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There are legal protections for trade

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secrets, such as a non-disclosure

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agreement for anyone

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with knowledge of the information.

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Usually, only a few people know all

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the information that makes up a trade

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secret,

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and even though trade secrets aren't

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legally registered as intellectual

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property, stealing or publishing

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them is still illegal.

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Federal labs can't have trade secrets

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on inventions and processes

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they've developed.

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The government equivalent

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is classified information.

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But when labs partner with businesses

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and individuals, they may need to learn

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about those partners' IP to help.

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T2 laws have

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been put in place that allow federal labs

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to keep quiet about partners' trade

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secrets so they can work together

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and companies can be sure their

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information is safe throughout

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the partnering process.

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