WHITE PAPER | 2023 Year-End Review: Key Trade Secret Developments

By Kelsey I. Nix, Shameka C. Rolla and Dani B. Dobosz

A trade secret is any information used in one’s business that derives independent economic value from not being generally known. Trade secrets, unlike patents, are protected indefinitely for as long as they remain a secret. Due in large part to enactment of the Defend Trade Secrets Act in May 2016 which made trade secret misappropriation a federal cause of action, trade secrets have become an increasingly attractive form of intellectual property for businesses to protect their innovations.

This White Paper summarizes and explains noteworthy decisions in trade secret law over the past year. Each of these decisions has meaningful implications for trade secret owners, defendants, and practitioners alike.

Contents

• PLEADING STANDARDS FOR TRADE SECRET CASES
  • Ahern Rentals, Inc. v. EquipmentShare.com, Inc., 59 F.4th 948 (8th Cir. 2023)
• STANDARDS TO QUALIFY AS A TRADE SECRET
  • Allstate Insurance Co. v. Fougere, 79 F.4th 172 (1st Cir. 2023)
  • Card Isle Corp. v. Farid, -- F. Supp.3d --, 2023 WL 5618246 (N.D. Ga. 2023)
  • Synopsys, Inc. v. Risk Based Security, Inc., 70 F.4th 759 (4th Cir. 2023)
  • Coda Dev. s.r.o. v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., No. 15-cv-1572 (N.D. Ohio Mar. 31, 2023)
• DAMAGES
  • Epic Systems Corp. v. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., No. 22-2420, 2023 WL 4542011 (7th Cir. July 14, 2023)
  • Syntel Sterling Best Shores Mauritius Limited v. TriZetto Group, 68 F.4th 792 (2d Cir. 2023)
• SEIZURE ORDERS AND INJUNCTIONS
  • Janssen Prod., L.P. v. eVenus Pharms. Lab’ys Inc., 85 F.4th 147 (3d Cir. 2023)
  • SolarPark Korea Co., Ltd. v. Solaria Corp., No. 23-cv-01181-AMO, 2023 WL 4983159 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 2, 2023)
  • Dental Health Services v. Miller, No. 23-cv-00383 (W.D. Wash. Apr. 6, 2023)
  • Foundation Building Materials, LLC v. Conking & Calabrese, Co., 2023-NCBC-46, 2023 WL 4561583 (N.C. Super. Ct. 2023)
• CONCLUSIONS
• END NOTES

Read the White Paper here.