Other then knowledge that a person keeps in their mind and never
shares:
nothing can be guaranteed to be kept secret
So nothing is
patentable.
Reverse engineering can take apart and learn about anything.
Even one just observing the acts of that master blacksmith can learn a lot about
creating that sword.
Even trade secrets rely on the people involved
not sharing the information with anyone outside "the inner group".
That's somewhat enforced in civilized societies via contractual obligations. I
say somewhat because even contracts have to be reasonable. Unless the company
agrees to ensure full pension for "worked till retirement" - I personally would
never agree to "forgetting everything you learn here and never using it" in my
future career because there's always the possibility the company will release
you from employment (such as for cost-cutting measures). Even in the event the
individual is criminal in the extreme - mass murder of fellow workers - it is
not reasonable to expect the individual to completely forget the knowledge
learned and never use it.
The bottom line being:
You focus strictly
on the double negative and nothing is patentable
the alternative:
You
consider the the application of the opposite
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