[vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner css=”%7B%22default%22%3A%7B%22margin-bottom%22%3A%222rem%22%7D%7D”][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Do you know your specific blood type – like O positive or AB negative? Of course! Do you know your specific trade secrets that were taken? You should!
一名员工离开 Alifax 公司,加入竞争对手 Alcor 公司。艾利法公司生产用于血液分析的临床仪器。不到一年(非常快!),安科公司就推出了与爱利法公司产品功能相同的竞争仪器。
Alifax sued the ex-employee and Alcor for trade secret misappropriation (among other things like patent infringement and copyright infringement which were both later dropped). They used the Rhode Island Uniform Trade Secret Act because in 2014 the DTSA was not yet enacted (happened two years later in 2016).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][us_image image=”970″ link=”%7B%22url%22%3A%22%22%7D”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Alifax claimed that two different trade secrets were stolen – the first on conversion of photometric measurements, and the second on signal acquisition.
在庭审中,陪审团认定转换属于盗用商业秘密,但法院表示没有证据表明信号获取涉及商业秘密。审判结束后,法院以判决与证据不符为由批准重新审判。
在联邦巡回法院的上诉中,有许多申诉和反诉,但有几条评论特别有见地,即在界定商业秘密时需要具体。
联邦巡回法院称,"Alifax 不仅没有足够详细地描述所谓的信号获取商业秘密,也没有确定其适当的范围"。
Alifax 声称信号获取商业秘密是 "如何从血液样本中获取光度信号"....。但这一定义只是对被控商业秘密的目的进行了高度概括,而没有详细描述"。
商业秘密所有者的 "责任是对商业秘密进行足够详细的描述,以证明商业秘密的每个要素都得到了满足",而 Alifax 并没有做到这一点。
见: https://cafc.uscourts.gov/opinions-orders/22-1641.OPINION.6-11-2024_2331919.pdf
唐吉诃德的视角
Alifax 案只不过是法院要求商业秘密所有人越来越具体地说明其被盗用的商业秘密究竟是什么的一系列判决中的最新一例。其他每项有价值的公司资产都有明确的标识,商业秘密也应该如此。
Being specific is in fact the first of Tangibly’s five “best practices” for effective trade secret management. Trade secret owners should make it easy for the court to identify the trade secret and to see that it was misappropriated by the defendant.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]