In this article published by Corporate Counsel in May 2016, James Dowd, Greg Lantier and Rachel Weiner Cohen provide a high-level overview of the reach and effect of the newly passed Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) on plaintiffs, defendants and third-party bystanders.
Trade secrets are the lifeblood of American business. US companies own an estimated $5 trillion in trade secrets, roughly $300 billion of which are stolen every year. Trade secret theft deeply affects big business—including such companies as General Motors and DuPont—but even startups and smaller companies are vulnerable. Indeed, lawmakers such as Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) have suggested that in places like Silicon Valley “the value of trade secrets may well exceed the value of patents and copyrights.” Read the full article.