If you have a pup accustomed to gourmet dog treats from the Mall of America you might have an unhappy canine on your hands. Megamall kiosk owner, Chewzy Dogs, has filed suit after its franchisor and maker of its dog treats abruptly ended its agreement to supply Chewzy Dogs with its trade secret recipe treats. While Chewzy Dogs alleges its franchisor had agreed to transfer the secret recipe to Chewzy Dogs in exchange for early termination of the agreement, the franchisor has failed to deliver. (For more discussion of this case see Jim Hammerand, who first reported on it over at the Minneapolis Business Journal – thanks Jim!)

This story highlights one method of protecting valuable IP assets - through trade secrets. A method that may be growing after last week's changes to the U.S. patent laws.