Trade secrets security

The New European Directive on the Protection of Trade Secrets

On 15 December 2015, the European Council and representatives of the European Parliament reached a consensus on the European Commission’s proposed Directive on “the protection of undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) against their unlawful acquisition, use and disclosure.” The Commission’s original proposal of November 2013 was part of its wider Europe 2020 strategy, in which the Commission has undertaken “to create an Innovation Union, protecting investments in the knowledge base, reducing costly fragmentation, and making Europe a more rewarding place for innovation.” The compromise text of the Directive has yet to be adopted by the European Parliament.