Theory and practice of intellectual property
№ 2 / 2019

ISSN (Print) 2308-0361
ISSN (Online) 2519-2744

PDF (Ukrainian)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33731/22019.167295

Published      2019-05-16

The identification of trade secret elements: United States v. Chung

Andrii Hachkevych
Ukraine

Tetyana Kazarian
Ukraine

Abstract
This article examines the legal nature of a trade secret. The term «trade secret» has been being developed by common law and statute law within the legal system of the United States, especially the Uniform Trade Secrets Act of 1979 and the Economic Espionage Act of 1996. The differences between their scopes of application are considered along with the features of a trade secret being embodied therein. The question of trade secret protection is discussed on the basis of the case «United States v. Chung», which has become the first conviction under EEA. It may be refered to as a vivid example of explaining the circumstances of trade secret infringement. Considering the results of the research one can understand how legal norms related to trade secrets are practically applied and in which way a plaintiff, whose rights were violated, can ground his or her position that the information being the subject of claims contains a trade secret.

Keywords: features of a trade secret, judicial practice, United States v. Chung, Economic Espionage Act, reasonable measures

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