torts
University of Cambridge
Faculty of law
Tripos
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Breach of Confidence/Trade Secrets
Lionel Bently
March 10 & March11, 2011: The Basics
April 28: Employees
May 2: Privacy and Publicity
March 7 and 11, 2011
BREACH OF CONFIDENCE: THE BASICS
Bently & Sherman (3d ed), 1003-1066
***Coco v Clark [1969] RPC 41
*A-G v Guardian (No.2) [1988] 3 All ER 545
**Campbell v MGN [2004] 2 AC 457
**Douglas v Hello [2008] 1 AC 1, 45-50 (paras 108-28 per Lord Hoffmann), 70-73 (paras 242-260, per Lord Nicholls), 75-86 (para 272-301, per Lord Walker) (302-3, 307 per Baroness Hale), 93-94 (para 319, paras 3239) per Lord Brown).
Key Texts:
Francis Gurry, Breach of Confidence (Oxford: Clarendon, 1984)
Allison Coleman, The Legal Protection of Trade Secrets (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 1992)
J. Hull, Commercial Secrecy: Law and Practice (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 1998) R. Toulson & C. Phipps, Confidentiality (2d ed. London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2006)
Further Reading
Michalos, ‘Douglas v Hello: the final frontier’, [2007] Ent. L.R. 241-246
Aplin, ‘The development of the action for breach of confidence in a post-HRA era’ [2007] IPQ 19-59
Aplin, ‘The relationship between breach of confidence and the "tort of misuse of private information’ [2007] Kings Law Journal 329-336
Aplin, ‘Commercial confidences after the Human Rights Act’ [2007] EIPR 411-419
Arnold, ‘Confidence in exclusives: Douglas v Hello! in the House of Lords’ [2007] EIPR 339
Arnold, ‘The protection of confidential information in the human rights era: two aspects’ [2007] Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice, 599-608
Information having the necessary quality of confidence.
***Coco v Clark [1969] RPC 41
A-G v Guardian (No.2) [1988] 3 All ER 545
Campbell v MGN [2004] 2 AC 457
Douglas v Hello! [2007] UK HL 21 (2 May 2007) esp per Lord Walker para 272 (approving Lord Goff’s speech)
A. The Information must be Confidential
The Need to
Faculty of law
Tripos
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Breach of Confidence/Trade Secrets
Lionel Bently
March 10 & March11, 2011: The Basics
April 28: Employees
May 2: Privacy and Publicity
March 7 and 11, 2011
BREACH OF CONFIDENCE: THE BASICS
Bently & Sherman (3d ed), 1003-1066
***Coco v Clark [1969] RPC 41
*A-G v Guardian (No.2) [1988] 3 All ER 545
**Campbell v MGN [2004] 2 AC 457
**Douglas v Hello [2008] 1 AC 1, 45-50 (paras 108-28 per Lord Hoffmann), 70-73 (paras 242-260, per Lord Nicholls), 75-86 (para 272-301, per Lord Walker) (302-3, 307 per Baroness Hale), 93-94 (para 319, paras 3239) per Lord Brown).
Key Texts:
Francis Gurry, Breach of Confidence (Oxford: Clarendon, 1984)
Allison Coleman, The Legal Protection of Trade Secrets (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 1992)
J. Hull, Commercial Secrecy: Law and Practice (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 1998) R. Toulson & C. Phipps, Confidentiality (2d ed. London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2006)
Further Reading
Michalos, ‘Douglas v Hello: the final frontier’, [2007] Ent. L.R. 241-246
Aplin, ‘The development of the action for breach of confidence in a post-HRA era’ [2007] IPQ 19-59
Aplin, ‘The relationship between breach of confidence and the "tort of misuse of private information’ [2007] Kings Law Journal 329-336
Aplin, ‘Commercial confidences after the Human Rights Act’ [2007] EIPR 411-419
Arnold, ‘Confidence in exclusives: Douglas v Hello! in the House of Lords’ [2007] EIPR 339
Arnold, ‘The protection of confidential information in the human rights era: two aspects’ [2007] Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice, 599-608
Information having the necessary quality of confidence.
***Coco v Clark [1969] RPC 41
A-G v Guardian (No.2) [1988] 3 All ER 545
Campbell v MGN [2004] 2 AC 457
Douglas v Hello! [2007] UK HL 21 (2 May 2007) esp per Lord Walker para 272 (approving Lord Goff’s speech)
A. The Information must be Confidential
The Need to