Final answer: The measure of damages for misappropriation of a trade secret can vary and might be based on the lost revenues of the owner, punitive damages ten times the loss, treble damages three times the loss, or the profits earned by the party that misappropriated the trade secret.
Although the test for obtaining a TRO or PI may vary slightly across jurisdictions, generally a plaintiff seeking preliminary injunctive relief must satisfy a four-factor test: (1) that he or she is likely to succeed on the merits of his claims; (2) that he or she is likely to suffer irreparable harm without ...
An owner of a trade secret that has been misappropriated may seek remedies of injunctive relief and monetary damages, to compensate it for the economic harm resulting from the party that stole and benefitted from the theft of the trade secret.
A prima facie claim for misappropriation of trade secrets requires the plaintiff to demonstrate: (1) the plaintiff owned a trade secret; (2) the defendant acquired, disclosed, or used the plaintiff's trade secret through improper means; and (3) the defendant's actions damaged the plaintiff. (Cal. Civ.
Elements of a Trade Secret Claim The plaintiff made reasonable efforts to maintain its secrecy. The information isn't generally known. The defendant acquired the trade secret through improper means. The defendant has used that trade secret.
This doctrine holds that a third party is liable when the third party acquires a trade secret from another and then discloses or uses the secret under circumstances where he knows or should have known that the trade secret was wrongfully acquired.
The plaintiff in a trade-secret case lawsuit must prove three facts: (1) it has some valuable business information that it has kept secret; (2) the information is not generally known; and (3) the defendant has used that secret. A defendant may attack each showing, but some attacks are better than others.
A court may grant an injunction to prevent any actual or threatened misappropriation, provided that the injunction does not “prevent a person from entering into an employment relationship,” and that any conditions placed on employment are based on “evidence of threatened misappropriation and not merely on the ...
When an employer suspects criminal conduct, it may decide to contact law enforcement to investigate and prosecute trade secret theft, in addition to or instead of sending one or more cease and desist letters. Misappropriating trade secrets is a crime under various federal laws and under California law.
Anyone who steals trade secrets, or receives stolen trade secrets knowing that they were unlawfully obtained, can be punished by a maximum of 10 years in federal prison plus fines.