Professors’ Letter in Opposition to the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2015 (S. 1890, H.R. 3326)

23 Pages Posted: 7 Dec 2015

See all articles by Eric Goldman

Eric Goldman

Santa Clara University - School of Law

David S. Levine

Elon University School of Law; Stanford University - Center for Internet and Society

Sharon K. Sandeen

Mitchell Hamline School of Law; Hanken School of Economics

Christopher B. Seaman

Washington and Lee University - School of Law

Date Written: November 17, 2015

Abstract

In August 2014, thirty-one law professors signed a letter in opposition to proposed federal legislation to create a civil cause of action for trade secret misappropriation. We write to express continued concerns about the current version of this legislation, the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2015 (“DTSA”), S. 1890 and H.R. 3326. While we agree that effective legal protection for U.S. businesses’ legitimate trade secrets is important to American innovation, we believe that the DTSA — which would represent the most significant expansion of federal law in intellectual property since the Lanham Act in 1946 — will not solve the problems identified by its sponsors. Instead of addressing cyberespionage head-on, passage of the DTSA is likely to create new problems that could adversely impact domestic innovation, increase the duration and cost of trade secret litigation, and ultimately negatively affect economic growth. Therefore, the undersigned call on Congress to reject the DTSA.

Keywords: trade secrets, innovation, cyberespionage, cybersecurity, intellectual property

JEL Classification: K1

Suggested Citation

Goldman, Eric and Levine, David S. and Sandeen, Sharon K. and Seaman, Christopher B., Professors’ Letter in Opposition to the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2015 (S. 1890, H.R. 3326) (November 17, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2699760 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2699760

Eric Goldman

Santa Clara University - School of Law ( email )

500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053
United States
408-554-4369 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.ericgoldman.org

David S. Levine (Contact Author)

Elon University School of Law ( email )

201 N. Greene Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
United States

HOME PAGE: http://hearsayculture.com

Stanford University - Center for Internet and Society ( email )

Palo Alto, CA 94305-8610
United States

HOME PAGE: http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/blogs/levine/

Sharon K. Sandeen

Mitchell Hamline School of Law ( email )

875 Summit Ave
St. Paul, MN 55105-3076
United States

Hanken School of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 479
FI-00101 Helsinki, 00101
Finland

Christopher B. Seaman

Washington and Lee University - School of Law ( email )

1 E. Denny Circle
Lexington, VA 24450
United States
540-458-8520 (Phone)

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