A trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or compilation of information used by a business to obtain an advantage over competitors within the same industry or profession. In some jurisdictions, such secrets are referred to as "confidential information", while in others they are a subset or example of confidential information.

Definition

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A company can protect its confidential information through non-compete non-disclosure contracts with its employees. The law of protection of confidential information effectively allows a perpetual monopoly in secret information - it does not expire as would a patent or trademark. The lack of formal protection, however, means that a third party is not prevented from independently duplicating and using the secret information once it is discovered.

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NYT > Television

Television Review | '17 Kids and Counting'; 'Opportunity Knocks': O.K., but Can You Get a Cab in New York?
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:02:53 -0000
“17 Kids and Counting” has the potential to keep the culture wars raging; there is something vaguely depressing about the way “Opportunity Knocks” debunks family mythology.
Who Wants to Host a Game Show? So Many
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:02:48 -0000
It seems as if every B-list actor is angling for the job, but picking a host (like being a host) is harder than it looks.
Arts, Briefly: ‘S.N.L.’ Keeps It Political
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:07:13 -0000
Once again, “Saturday Night Live” led off the weekend’s show with Tina Fey as the Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska.

L.A. Times - TV News

'Friday Night Lights' is a slow-developing play
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
'Friday Night Lights' is back with its clock-controlling game plan and winning playmakers. Go, Panthers! THIS IS how new characters make their way onto " Friday Night Lights": They creep. The producers and writers of this finely whittled show know this: There are few truly grand entrances in life. And so when a fresh face needs introduction, it's in neatly doled-out dabs -- seen from a distance, barely sniffable at first. After a little while, when that person becomes central to a plot line, it's with a heavy inevitability. They've been there all the while, it seems, waiting for a change in tide.
'Dexter's' bloody-minded expert
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Real-life crime scene investigator Kimberlee Heale helps TV's 'Dexter' get the job done the right way. WHEN Kimberlee Heale was a little girl growing up in Covina and San Diego, she used to ask her father, a firefighter, to describe traffic accidents. By the time she took a tour of the FBI Crime Lab as an eighth-grader, she knew that a career in forensics was for her.
Biden-Palin debate smashes ratings records
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:38:24 -0700
It was by far the most-watched vice presidential debate since 1960.

News from TV.com

30 Rock grabs Salma Hayek
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:51:00 -0700
Curvy actress guest starring on NBC comedy; Desperate Housewives, Californication also grab guests.
Jimmy Smits stabs stuntman on Dexter set
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:28:00 -0700
New cast member on Showtime's dark drama accidentally shanks stuntman with real knife.
Rosie O'Donnell nabs NBC variety show
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:29:00 -0700
Gabby television personality will host Rosie's Variety Show on Thanksgiving eve; series could follow.

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