DIFI Masterclass: Trade Secrets
– Managing the Duality of Your Most Valuable and Most Vulnerable Asset
Date: 15 – 16 September 2026
Trade Secrets – How Do You Protect an Intangible Asset That Is Both Your Most Valuable and Your Most Vulnerable?
Trade secrets are often among a company’s most valuable assets. Yet, unlike patents and other registered intellectual property rights, their protection depends entirely on the ability of an organization to identify, manage, and safeguard them effectively.
This creates a fundamental challenge: how do you protect an intangible asset that derives its value from remaining secret, while at the same time being highly vulnerable to loss, disclosure, misappropriation, or employee mobility?
Successful trade secret protection requires more than legal compliance. It demands a coordinated effort across the organization and business functions. Identifying what constitutes a trade secret, mapping critical know-how, implementing appropriate protection measures, and preparing for enforcement are all essential elements of an effective strategy.
This Masterclass brings together leading experts from industry, academia, and legal practice to explore both the theoretical foundations and the practical realities of trade secret protection. Through real-life experiences and international perspectives from Europe, the United States, and China, participants will gain valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with protecting confidential business information in a global environment.
The Masterclass will also address the relationship between patents and trade secrets, demonstrating how the two forms of protection can complement rather than exclude one another as part of a broader intellectual property strategy.
Speakers include
- Jens Hemmingsen Schovsbo, Professor in Intellectual Property Law, University of Copenhagen
- Charlotte Utermøhl Lund, Head of Patents, Carlsberg Breweries A/S
- Iben Haasum, Vice-President of IP and licensing, Novonesis A/S
- Horace Lam, Co-Country Managing Partner, China, DLA Piper
- Raymond Miller, Partner, US, DLA Piper
- Christian Kragelund, Partner, DLA Piper, Chairman, DIFI
To access and download the presentations from our speakers, please click here >
Please note, this page is exclusively available to participants of the Masterclass on Trade Secrets 2026.
