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Trade Secrets Act This statute, enacted in 1948, is actually of narrow applicability. It forbids federal government employees and government contractors from making an unauthorized disclosure of confidential government information, including trade secrets.
A trade secret can also be revealed legally, and you have no recourse in this case, even if it was not your intention to reveal it. Illegal disclosure may be made by people who: Used illegal means, such as theft or bribery, to obtain the information.
§ 1836(b)(2)). The DTSA provides criminal and civil immunity under federal and state law for employees, consultants, and contractors who make disclosures to government authorities or attorneys regarding a suspected violation of law or in a complaint or other court filing made under seal.
In contrast to other types of intellectual property (trademarks, patents, and copyrights) that are governed primarily by federal law, trade secret protection is primarily a matter of state law. Thus, trade secret owners have more limited legal recourse when their rights are violated.
Adoption by U.S. states As of June 2019, the UTSA has been adopted by all states except New York and North Carolina (but its law is very similar and seems to borrow heavily from the act 1).
Pennsylvania adopted the Pennsylvania Uniform Trade Secrets Act (PUTSA) on April 19, 2004 (12 Pa. C.S.A. ? 5301 to 5308). It is often referred to as the PUTSA to distinguish it from the model Uniform Trade Secrets Act.
Trade secrets may be disclosed during meetings between parties. Ideally, such disclosures are made under a confidential disclosure or nondisclosure agreement, and should always reveal only as much trade secret information as is required under the circumstances.
In Pennsylvania, trade secrets are protected through a statute known as the Pennsylvania Uniform Trade Secrets Act (PUTSA). The PUTSA preempts all other law providing civil remedies for misappropriation of trade secrets.
Contrary to patents, trade secrets are protected without registration, that is, trade secrets require no procedural formalities for their protection. A trade secret can be protected for an unlimited period of time, unless it is discovered or legally acquired by others and disclosed to the public.
Since trade secrets are not made public, unlike patents, they do not provide defensive protection, as being prior art.