Module 3 · Chapter 5

Know-How and Confidentiality

A factory runs on its drawings, specifications and test methods. The buyer may use the seller's for ever, but only if it keeps them secret.

≈ 8 min read 8-question test

In this chapter

  • What the Know-How covers, and what it leaves out
  • Who may see it, and how the factory keeps it secret
  • Why Kelderwick IP cannot end this licence, even after a leak

5.1Know-how licences in one paragraph

Know-how is technical information that a business keeps to itself, such as how it makes and tests a product. Know-how cannot be registered like a trade mark, so it is protected only while it stays secret. Clause 2.2 lets the Sheffield company use Kelderwick's know-how, called here the Know-How, to make, repair and sell its existing pumps. In return, clause 5 makes the Sheffield company keep it secret.

Key point

Secrecy is know-how's main protection. The Sheffield company may use the Know-How for ever. In return, it must keep each piece secret until that piece becomes public through no fault of its own.

Also in this chapter

  1. What the Know-How covers, and what it leaves out
  2. Who may see the Know-How, and how it stays secret
  3. A licence Kelderwick IP cannot end
  4. Your job

Preview

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