International Trade Secret Protection

Trade secret protection has long been of critical strategic importance to business interests and globalization of commerce has driven an increasing need to govern the preservation of confidentiality in international business transactions. This book off

In recent years, as companies implement strategies to protect their intellectual property in a competitive environment with rapidly developing technology, trade secret protection law has gained increasing importance. This is especially true in Asia, where the staggering commercial value of trade secrets, fierce cross-border competition, and large-scale labour mobility characterize the region's economy. This book - the first systematic study of trade secret protection law covering a number of key Asian jurisdictions - provides a detailed analysis of the relevant statutory and case law of Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and India. In addition, a chapter on European Union trade secret protection law is included for further purposes of comparison. Thirty-one local experts provide a clear overview of national laws and practices by examining the following aspects of their respective national regimes: requirements of trade secrets; validity and scope of confidentiality and/or non-competition clauses; burden of proof and its shifting or reversal; order for protecting the secrecy of a trade secret during prosecution and trial; civil remedies (injunctive relief and damages); and criminal punishment for trade secret infringement. With its authoritative insights and comprehensive coverage of the dynamic and multifaceted development of trade secret protection law in Asia, the book will be a primer for practitioners, corporate counsels, judges, and scholars concerned with cross-border protection of intellectual assets.

For business investors in China, the legal handling of trade secrets is often crucial. However, initiatives are often complicated by a patchwork trade secrets protection system – pieced together haphazardly over the last two decades and drawing on disparate elements of competition law, contract law, employment law, and criminal law – that diverges in significant ways from global standards and corresponding regimes in other countries. Now at last interested parties can benefit richly from a thorough and practical approach to the subject. This detailed analysis of China’s trade secrets law provides in-depth information and guidance on such important factors as the following: the current framework of China’s trade secrets law, its past development and its ongoing trends; legal comparison of China’s trade secrets law with various international, regional, and national schemes; what constitutes trade secrets infringement in China and what remedies are available; and the legal interaction in China between employment relations and trade secrets protection. The author pays close attention to judicial practice and precedent in the areas of civil remedies, criminal punishment, and administrative penalties. She also offers insightful proposals formulated to align China’s trade secrets law more efficiently with prevailing global standards and generally improve the mechanisms for its implementation. Corporate counsel and international lawyers concerned with intellectual property rights or labour law in China will greatly appreciate the knowledgeable guidance this book affords. They will gain a deeply informed perspective that allows them to avoid infringement, to battle it effectively if occasion arises, and to plan dispute resolution strategies for contingencies involving trade secrets protection in China.

Edited by leading IP practitioner Trevor Cook from Bird & Bird, this important title demystifies the law of trade secrets in over 30 jurisdictions, covering substantive and procedural aspects of both criminal and civil law and exploring the final remedies available. Designed to provide clear, comprehensive and practical guidance, this is a powerful tool for anyone requiring a broader and fuller understanding of trade secret protection globally.

A comparative analysis of trade secrets enforcement against ex-employees in the EU and USA, aimed at legislators and practitioners.

This timely Handbook marks a major shift in innovation studies, moving the focus of attention from the standard intellectual property regimes of copyright, patent, and trademark, to an exploration of trade secrecy and the laws governing know-how, tacit knowledge, and confidential relationships. The editors introduce the long tradition of trade secrecy protection and its emerging importance as a focus of scholarly inquiry. The book then presents theoretical, doctrinal, and comparative considerations of the foundations of trade secrecy, before moving on to study the impact of trade secrecy regimes on innovation and on other social values. Coverage includes topics such as sharing norms, expressive interests, culture, politics, competition, health, and the environment. This important Handbook offers the first modern exploration of trade secrecy law and will strongly appeal to intellectual property academics, and to students and lawyers practicing in the intellectual property area. Professors in competition law, constitutional law and environmental law will also find much to interest them in this book, as will innovation theorists.

About the Author --Acknowledgements --Introduction and Background of Trade Secrets Protection --Property, Propriety and Policy --International Standards --The Common Law Approach: The English Law System --The Common Law Approach: The United States --Civilian Approaches: France --Civilian Approaches: Germany --Trade Secrets and Employees --Conclusions --Text of the Relevant German Provisions.