The British-American Business Council,
Chicago

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Chicago International Film Festival

The Chicago International Film Festival is the oldest, competitive film festival in North America. Showcasing over 165+ films from over 35+ countries, it's one of the highlight cultural events in Chicago.

This year, the 42nd Chicago International Film Festival will be held October
5-19, 2006.

Several films from the UK will be highlighted. For more information, please click on the following link:  Chicago International Film Festival

EVERYTHING INTERNATIONAL

This site has been around for ten years, and it's full of reliable, current, and inexpensive links to international business information. It's maintained by a college professor, Lloyd C. Russow, which is a good sign that the information is bias-free. Just click on a category at the home page and you'll see hundreds of links, all of them annotated with Professor Russow's comments, and cross- linked to other categories. The links are checked for accuracy every ten days, so you won't find any broken or dead links here. And if you do nothing else, make sure you visit the "Village of 1,000" page, which has a fascinating perspective on world demographic statistics.  Source:  FITA
 

ANGLOFILE

   August 2006

PROTECTING YOUR TRADE SECRETS

A recent study showed during a one-year period, trade secret and other intellectual property losses cost companies more that $50 billion. Yet companies often remain lackadaisical in protecting their trade secrets. Even worse, many companies do not even know that they possess any trade secrets. This dooms companies who would have taken adequate measures to protect their trade secrets—if they only knew they had them.

Therefore, the most fundamental question is: what is a trade secret? A trade secret is information, such as a process, design, or program, which gives a company an advantage resulting from the secrecy of that information. This confidential information can be used by an operating business or other business entity to generate an economic advantage over competitors. But this definition is not limited to technical information—even a recipe for chocolate chip cookies could be considered a trade secret.

Companies must take serious measures to protect the confidentiality of their trade secrets. Intuitively—and legally—an open trade secret is no longer a trade secret. Fortunately, state legislatures and courts realize that companies should not be forced to take extreme or heroic measures to protect their trade secrets. The general standard requires “reasonable”, “proper”, or “adequate” measures to ensure the confidentiality of trade secrets. Nonetheless, if the success of your company is dependent on the confidentiality of trade secrets, you should do more than “reasonably” protect your company’s most valuable asset.

When protecting the confidentiality of your trade secret, the best defense is a good offense. Therefore, the first step in trade secret protection is determining who sees what and why? The answers to these three key elements ultimately determine how you can take reasonable measures to properly limit access to the trade secret information.
After making these determinations, there are a wide variety of means at your disposal:

Physical security controls: Restricting access to the trade secret is the simplest and often the most effective means of maintaining its confidentiality. This includes: (1) the use of lock and key; (2) visitor access controls; (3) creating restricted zones within the office space; (4) shredding documents after their use; and (5) implementing a take home policy that forbids the removal of certain information from the office.

Computer security controls: Computerized trade secret information is particularly susceptible to theft; thus, a variety of internal and external access controls including password protection and classifying (or labeling) electronic documents should be considered.

Keep and disseminate to employees a written copy of the trade secret policy:  Documentation of your trade secret policy provides two important benefits. First, the declaration of the policy shows your employees that your company is serious about maintaining the confidentiality of its information. Secondly, to the extent the policy is not followed or followed in part, the written statement shows precisely what the company intended to keep confidential.

Label trade secret documents: It is easy to copy, fax, scan, or e-mail documents. Classifying information on its face provides direct proof that your company intended to restrict access to the document.

Employee agreements: Written confidentiality, non-solicitation and non-competition agreements are all recommended. Any agreement should be quite specific as to the protected information or prohibited activity. In a similar vein, it is important to enter into confidentiality agreements with third parties who are privy to trade secrets.

Periodic reminders to employees: None of us are perfect. With this in mind, it is sensible to regularly remind employees of your company’s confidentiality policies to ensure they are followed—and followed well.

Be mindful of third parties: You should evaluate whether third parties who have access to your trade secrets actually need your confidential information to perform their tasks.

Review speeches and publications: Unintentional disclosure of trade secrets is far too common at trade shows and conferences. Therefore, refreshing one’s or an employee’s memory as to what cannot be divulged before public interactions of this type could prevent an innocent mistake.

This article is not legal advice. It is important to note that trade secret laws and the adequacy of confidentiality measures vary from state to state.se

This article was contributed by David Seidman.  Mr. Seidman is a Managing Partner and General Counsel for Third Coast International Group, LLC.  Third Coast works with companies in the following areas: legal and regulatory risk analysis; strategy and public sector representation, and Asia-Pacific marketplace development.  You can reach Mr. Seidman at dseidman@thirdcoast-intl.com

If you would like to submit an article to Anglofile, please
e-mail Chris Brenkus at cbrenkus@babcc.org.  Article contributions are most welcome.

     MEMBER TIPS

TRAVEL TIPS FROM THE U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

When To Arrive

Due to increased security measures, we recommend that domestic passengers arrive at the airport at least two hours prior to their flight. International passengers are encouraged to allow additional time and to check with the air carrier.

To expedite the screening process, please pack all liquids and gels - including shampoo, toothpaste, perfume, hair gel, suntan lotion and all other items with similar consistency in your checked baggage.  Carrying liquids of any sort to the screening checkpoint will cause you delays, and will most likely result in the item being confiscated.

Every passenger can assist in ensuring that flights are safe and hassles minimized:

• Pack lightly, without clutter, to facilitate easy screening

• Ensure that all liquids are packed in your checked baggage

• Do not bring liquids or lighters to the security checkpoint

• Review the Permitted and Prohibited Items List prior to traveling to expedite passing through the screening

• Cooperate with TSA personnel at checkpoints and with airline personnel at gates

• Be attentive and vigilant to any suspicious activity and report it to authorities

Passengers traveling to the United Kingdom will be subject to more extensive security screening processes, including a physical inspection of baggage at the departure gate.

As a customer service initiative, we are providing security checkpoint wait time information to assist travelers in planning for their next flight.  The wait times are historical so please note actual wait time may vary depending on factors including weather delays, which result in increased passenger levels.

When calculating arrival time, remember to build in time for non-security related issues, including parking, and ticketing/checking in with your airline. Please consult your airline and airport for additional guidance on arrival time. Find your security checkpoint wait time.

Do you have a restaurant, hotel, travel, or other tips you would like to share with fellow members? If so, kindly e-mail your recommendations  to Chris Brenkus.
 

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Please join us in welcoming the following new members:

Laurie Anne Plax, Director, North America Operations, Melcrum Publishing
Phone:  312-994-2468
E-mail:  laurieanne.plax@melcrum.com

Adrienne Brazil, Senior Account Manager, Melcrum Publishing
Phone:  312-994-2468
E-mail:  adrienne.brazil@melcrum.com

Melcrum Publishing is a global research company bringing best practices and resources to Human Resource and Corporate Communication Professionals through various medium, including research reports, journals, training and professional development programs.
 

Robert Prohaska, Director of Sales & Marketing,
Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
Phone:  312-324-4010
E-mail:  robert.prohaska@accor.com

Michelle Willey, Director of Catering
Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
Phone:  312-324-4075
E-mail:  michelle.willey@accor.com

Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, designed by award-winning French architect Jean-Paul Veguier, is a 32-story international hotel featuring luxurious style and amenities. Boasting 415 elegantly appointed guest rooms and suites, the hotel features 9 meeting rooms and a stunning rand ballroom. Fine dining at Cafe des Architectes features contemporary French cuisine.

Spread the Word about the BABC Chcago to your colleagues and those who you think would benefit from BABC Membership.  Kindly direct them to our Web Site or e-mail Chris Brenkus to send your contacts'  information.