Commercial Espionage 79 Ways Competitors Can Get Any Business Secrets Book

Attorney Paad reports that commercial espionage costs the United States $100 billion each year, and his slim volume seeks to inform the unwary in an attempt to stern that tide. In the first third of the volume, he lists 79 ways a company can lose its competitive edge by such espionage techniques as trash evaluation; the last two-thirds outline how to stanch the flow. Much of this would be apparent to anyone with common sense, but some points demonstate expertise, and the author's checklist of basic negotiation rules and comments on international travel security are well made. Parad's law firm specializes in economic espionage countermeasures, and the book feels like the summary of a workshop on the topic, with a strong international flavor. The digest format frequent examples will appeal to business readers more than the dull textual format of Ira Winkler's less expensive Corporate Espionage (Prima 1997), which covers much of the same ground. Intellectual property rights and their protection are somewhat of a hot topic these days, and Parad's book is an acceptable purchase for public an academic libraries.

The price tag's hefty for a 143-page paperback but serious executives and any interested in issues of corporate intelligence may be willing to pay the price for a unique guide which imparts the basics on little-discussed subjects. From hiring away key employees to phony job interviews and avoiding lawsuits, this delves into everything from proprietary information protection issues to how competitors can obtain business secrets.