Utah Uniform Trade Secrets Act

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Last year saw many important trade secret developments in the court. Here is our Top 5:

1. DuPont v. Kolon

This case had it all. What appeared at first to be the actions of one disgruntled employee turned out to be a long-standing high-level initiative of Kolon to target former DuPont employees in order to develop its fledgling para-aramid fiber using the secrets behind industry standard Kevlar. There was spoliation, 400 page expert reports arguing all of DuPont’s trade secrets were disclosed in its own patents, antitrust counterclaims, criminal charges, Korean investigations, a two-month jury trial culminating in a damages award just shy of a billion dollars, an appeal, and finally—in 2015—resolution. This epic battle came to end with Kolon being criminally indicted, paying $275 million to DuPont in restitution, and settling the civil case under undisclosed terms. Read about it here.Continue Reading 2015 Trade Secret Year in Review: Key Courtroom Developments

The Supreme Court of Utah, in InnoSys, Inc. v. Mercer, held earlier this week that an employer making a prima facie case of trade secret misappropriation is entitled to a legal presumption of harm that, if unrebutted, supports a claim for trade secret misappropriation and at least injunctive relief. This August 31, 2015 decision interprets Utah’s Uniform Trade Secret Act and represents a useful precedent for companies relying on trade secret protection. It notably held that the presumption of harm attaches regardless of whether the record supports a threat of future disclosure or use of the stolen trade secrets.
Continue Reading Utah’s Supreme Court Applies Rebuttable Presumption of Harm In Trade Secret Case