Your company has developed a new manufacturing process to paint automobile bodies. The process is similar to a system used to paint boat hulls, but has never been used for cars before. lt is a multi-step process. Very few of your employees know the full extent of the process; you have kept the steps isolated and provided the information required for each step of production only to those employees who work at the step.

The process is less expensive than standard auto-paint processes, so it gives your company a competitive edge. Your company could, however, make additional money from the process if it were licensed to other companies.

Should your company protect this new process through a patent or maintain it as a trade secret? Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each option.