On the 27th of February 2025 the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in its First Chamber delivered a preliminary reference balancing the rights of a data subject and their right to an explanation and the protection of trade secrets.

On the 14 April 2016, the day on which the European Parliament adopted the new Data Protection Regulation, the European Parliament also voted in favour of the introduction of new EU Directive on the protection of trade secrets.

Historically, the general rule adopted was that all clauses in restraint of trade were considered invalid.

A recent survey has showed that 1 in 5 companies has suffered an attempt to steal its trade secrets in the last ten years, and the numbers are on the increase.

In today's world, one of a businesses' most valuable asset would be its know-how, client base and trade secrets, all of which are becoming increasingly more difficult to protect with the rate of employment turnover of 2018.

Intellectual Property ("IP") has become an increasingly vital asset for organisations that rely on innovation, data and technology in their operations. As a result, IP ownership rights between employers and employees...

On 4 May 2023, the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") delivered a preliminary ruling in the case of F.F. v Österreichische Datenschutzbehörde (C-487/21), in relation to the interpretation...

The Maltese legal system is mixed. For many centuries it was based on Roman law as codified by Emperor Justinian, with the civilian influence being further strengthened during the rule of the Order of St John...

Maltese law creates a complex framework for determining intellectual property ownership when employees develop creative works outside standard working hours. The analysis extends beyond simple distinctions between work time and personal time, examining contractual duties, resource usage, and the relationship between creations and employer business activities. Even when employees successfully establish independent ownership, significant legal constraints may still apply where confidential information or trad

Breakfast briefing in London organised by the Malta High Commission and introduced by H.E Joseph Zammit Tabona High Commissioner of Malta to the Court of St James’s.

The legal profession stands at a crossroads between tradition and technology.

Among those things, there's your intellectual property.This may seem a little counterintuitive. Common sense dictates a good idea must be disclosed to the public one way or another if it is to evolve into a good venture.

What disappears when you speak its name? A riddle as old as time itself. But, as anyone charged with the keeping of secrets knows; once silence is broken, a great many more things might go the same way.

Family offices are increasingly recognising intellectual property as a critical component of modern wealth, requiring sophisticated governance frameworks that integrate IP into succession planning, asset protection, and cross-border structuring.