What are the requirements for trade secret protection in the European Union?

In the European Union, trade secret protection requires that information meets certain criteria to be considered a trade secret. The most important requirement is that the information must be secret, meaning that it is not generally known or easily accessible to people outside of the business. Additionally, the information must have some economic value to the business who holds the trade secret, and the business must be taking active steps to keep it a secret. In the EU, trade secret owners must make sure to implement measures to protect their trade secrets. These measures can include limiting access to certain confidential documents or marking them as confidential, using passwords on computers, having a non-disclosure agreement with any employees that have access to the trade secret, and keeping trade secrets in secure places. The European Union also recognizes that the misuse of trade secrets can harm businesses and create an unfair competitive advantage, so it provides protection for trade secrets against misuse, including improper access to the information or disclosure of the trade secret without permission. The EU also has certain rules regarding the duration of trade secret protection. Generally speaking, trade secrets are protected for a period of five years, after which the trade secret owner needs to take further steps to maintain protection. This date can be extended by filing an appropriate application to the authorities. In addition, the EU introduces certain protection of the trade secret for a period of two years after the employment of a worker has ended.

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What are the requirements for trade secret protection in the European Union?

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