Protection of Trade Secrets in Taiwan:Challenges and Breakthrough

From perspective of substantive law, the difficulties for trade secret protection can be viewed from three aspects, that is, a trade secret subject matter, trade secret misappropriation, and liability of the perpetrator for trade secret infringement. First of all, elements of trade secrets are indefinite legal concepts. Moreover, whether information is qualified as a “trade secret” by courts is a question of fact. This thesis begins with a discussion of cases and legal theories in U.S in an attempt to provide as references of our practice. Secondly, it compares the Economic Espionage Act and the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, with Trade Secret Act amended in 2013 to impose criminal liability to trade secret infringement. Thus we can understand what kind of violations should regulate in the statutory law. Finally, it also discusses the liability for wrongfully perpetrating corporate competitor’s trade secrets. Illegal business who encourages or entices another to misappropriate other’s trade secrets, and then profits from the use, can be viewed as a primary wrongdoer, and is directly liable, not secondarily liable, for unlawful use. Through the discussion mentioned above, the purpose of the thesis is to construct responsibilities of theft of trade secret, and thereby to improve trade secret protection.