Computer Forensics IP Theft
The theft of intellectual property right (IP) can be hard to prove and even harder to prosecute. Using the services of a computer forensics company such as Disklabs provides the victim of IP theft the opportunity to gather hard evidence to support their accusations. IP theft is a complex subject to approach as laws can differ significantly between jurisdictions. Disklabs can provide advice and guidance upon the best way to pursue the investigation into the theft of your intellectual property. Computer forensics techniques such as those practised by Disklabs are being used more and more as a way to acquire sufficient evidence to support a claim of intellectual property theft.
There are as many reasons for somebody committing IP theft as there are forms of IP theft, regardless of the reason the crime was committed, every instance of IP theft can represent a major financial loss for the victim. Disgruntled employees will often perform malicious acts of IP theft such as e-mailing a customer list to a competing company or deleting mission-critical data such as invoices and other accounting data. At its most serious IP theft sees a member of the executive management team stealing an entire business model to use as a basis for a new commercial venture.
If you suspect that you have been a victim of IP theft you should instantly turn off the computer which was the tool used during the crime, not simply by shutting it down but by physically unplugging it from the mains. You should then take measures to secure the entire machine; it should be locked in a safe place where nobody can gain access to it. Once these initial measures have been taken you should try to make a note of or list any suspicious activities that you have witnessed or any data or documents you think may have been stolen. Once this has been completed you should contact a computer forensics provider and arrange for the suspected IP theft to be investigated. Result of this forensics analysis will provide you with a technical document in proving or disapproving your suspicions, and arming you with the tools to take your accusations further.
In many cases once the crime of IP theft can be proven by documented technical fact the perpetrator will return was stolen. If they do not, then the victim company is already in possession of the relevant proof and can begin to instruct their legal representatives to take proceedings.
