# Technical Know-How

> Technical Know-How means all accessible and unaccessible research, designs, blueprints, prototypes, plans, specifications, methods, systems and secrets

**Term:** Technical Know-How  
**Last updated:** 2026-07-29

## Definition

## What Technical Know-How Means in a Contract

Technical Know-How refers to the accumulated practical and technical knowledge a business holds about a product, process, or system. This can include research findings, designs, blueprints, prototypes, plans, specifications, methods, and other operational secrets. Unlike a patent, it does not need to be registered or formally protected to have value, and it may include both information that is publicly accessible in some form and information that is kept strictly confidential.

In a contract, the term is used to draw a boundary around what is being licensed, transferred, disclosed, or protected. Parties rely on a clear definition of Technical Know-How so that obligations such as confidentiality, non-use, or royalty payments attach to a specific, identifiable body of information rather than to vague or undefined knowledge.

Because the term can be broad, contracts often pair it with related concepts such as intellectual property, trade secrets, or confidential information, either to reinforce protection or to clarify that Technical Know-How is treated separately from registered rights.

## How Technical Know-How Is Defined or Measured

There is no single fixed legal test for what qualifies as Technical Know-How. Instead, contracts typically define it through an inclusive list of categories, such as designs, formulas, processes, technical data, engineering methods, and operating procedures, so that the scope is understood by both parties without relying on external legal definitions.

Because know-how is not necessarily secret in every jurisdiction's sense of a trade secret, many contracts measure its coverage by reference to how it was obtained, how it is used, and whether it was disclosed under confidentiality obligations. Some agreements distinguish between.

## Context

### Relevant circumstances

- When proprietary technical knowledge is being shared between parties
- If a licence or services agreement needs to capture both documented and undocumented expertise
- Where confidentiality and use restrictions apply to manufacturing or design information

### Relevant sectors

- Legal Services
- Business Services
- Commercial Contracts

## Relevant contract types

- [Service Agreement](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/service-agreement)
- [Sale Agreement](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/sale-agreement)
- [Partnership Agreement](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/partnership-agreement)

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