The law of confidence can be used to prevent confidential corporate information being disclosed or to obtain compensation if information is disclosed unlawfully or a breach of confidentiality occurs.
Companies need to know what threats exist and their status. Damaging material may remain in press archives or on websites.
There are many ways to deal with these threats to prevent leaks from occuring in the first place. Steps can be taken to remove offending material from websites and copyright can be acquired in material a business does not want reproduced.
If there is a risk of mainstream media picking up allegations, or concern that dealing with an online publisher such as a blogger, say, will cause more harm than good, solicitors’ letters addressing the threat of publication can be researched and prepared.
Education of executives and employees can work wonders: for example alerting business people that their families’ social networking pages offer rich material for journalists wishing to illustrate the trappings of an illustrious career or lifestyle, providing details of their movements and future plans.
The key is to keep private information private. But if the information has been made available to a limited audience, it may be possible to prevent the publication to a wider audience. This can be useful for companies when, for example, an insider, competitor or advisor has carried remarks about a proposed deal or pricing.
Human resources teams can also warn staff of the risks, and of their obligations in the use of social networking or distribution of work material. Events staff should know they must secure copyright beforehand when engaging an external photographer.
Often a publisher will remove information from a website when told the material is confidential but it may also be possible to obtain an injunction, if necessary. The law can protect many pieces of information relating to a company - including its business methods - or an individual from surfacing online or in the press. We can assist in planning for disclosure risks or responding to unlawful disclosures.