What is the difference between a trade secret and copyright law?

The difference between trade secret law and copyright law in Texas is that trade secret law protects confidential information, while copyright law protects original works. Trade secret law allows individuals and businesses to protect information, such as recipes, formulas, processes, techniques, or customer lists, that are not generally known and have economic value. To qualify as a trade secret, the information must be kept secret and the owner must make "reasonable efforts" to maintain its secrecy. On the other hand, copyright law protects original works that are expressed in a tangible form, such as musical, literary, or artistic works. As long as the work was created by an author, it will be protected by copyright law. Copyright law gives the author the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, perform, or display the work publicly. The copyright does not protect the idea of the work, just the expression of the idea.

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