Introduction
The first thought that likely comes to mind when people think of
IP theft is corporate espionage. This might involve a nefarious
individual who has managed to join a company as a "mole"
to gather information or access restricted information, which will
be used by a competitor to advance their own commercial or
technological interests. Alternatively, IP theft can occur through
data breaches (such as hacking) in which sensitive, protected or
confidential data is copied, transmitted, viewed, stolen, or used
by an individual unauthorised to do so.
However, one of the biggest risks to companies and businesses
when it comes to IP theft that is often neglected is a disgruntled
employee who can appropriate information to advance his or her own
interest, or damage the former employer. In this regard, a common
theme in the field of patents is former employees filing patent
applications on their own, or being listed as an inventor on a
patent application filed
