WIPO Guide to Trade Secrets and Innovation

Annex: Selected reference materials

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Trade secrets webpage

https://www.wipo.int/tradesecrets/en/

Frequently Asked Questions: Trade Secrets

Overview of Trade Secret Systems in Certain Countries and Regions

WIPO series: Business Insights in Trade Secret Management

WIPO Lex Database

https://www.wipo.int/en/web/wipolex/index

National and regional laws relating to trade secrets

Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property

Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement)

WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/

De Castro, I. and Gadkowski, A., Confidentiality and Protection of Trade Secrets in Intellectual Property Mediation and Arbitration, in Gerold Zeiler and Alexander Zojer (eds.), Trade Secrets: Procedural and Substantive Issues, 2020, NWV, pp. 79-90: https://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/amc/en/docs/confidentialitytradesecrets.pdf

Economic studies

Bravo-Ortega, C. and Price Elton, J. J., Innovation and intellectual property rights in the Chilean copper mining sector: the role of the mining, equipment, technology and services firms, Economic Research Working Paper No. 54, 2019: https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_econstat_wp_54.pdf

Keisner, C.A., Raffo, J. and Wunsch-Vincent, S., Breakthrough technologies – Robotics, innovation and intellectual property, Economic Research Working Paper No. 30, 2015: https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_econstat_wp_30.pdf

Larrimore Ouellette, L., Economic growth and breakthrough innovations: A case study of nanotechnology, Economic Research Working Paper No. 29, 2015: https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_econstat_wp_29.pdf

López, A., Innovation and Appropriability, Empirical Evidence and Research Agenda, in “The Economics of Intellectual Property”, 2009: https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/economics/1012/wipo_pub_1012.pdf

Discussion paper on the interplay between patents and trade secrets in medical technologies: https://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/scp/en/wipo_ip_covid_ge_2_22/wipo_ip_covid_ge_2_22_paper.pdf

Database of Intellectual Property Policies from Universities and Research Institutions

https://www.wipo.int/web/technology-transfer/database-ip-policies-universities-research-institutions

National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), France

Les autres modes de protection - Le secret (webpage): https://www.inpi.fr/comprendre-la-propriete-intellectuelle/les-autres-modes-de-protection

INPI - Guide du Management de la PI pour les business managers (Fiche-Guide n°11 Protéger le savoir-faire de l’entreprise, Fiche-Guide n°12 Constituer des preuves de ses créations et de leur usage): https://www.inpi.fr/le-management-de-la-pi

Court of Appeal of Paris, France

La réparation du préjudice économique: Fiches méthodologiques et glossaire - 3e édition, 2024 (FR)/Compensation for economic damage: Guidance notes - 3rd edition, 2024 (EN): https://www.cours-appel.justice.fr/paris/la-reparation-du-prejudice-economique

Fiche 9a: Comment gérer la confidentialité et respecter le secret des affaires ? (FR)/Sheet no. 9a: How can confidentiality be managed and trade secrets respected (EN)

Fiche 9b: Comment réparer les préjudices causés par une atteinte au secret des affaires ? (FR) /Sheet no. 9b: How can damage caused by infringement of trade secrets be compensated? (EN)

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan

Unfair Competition Prevention Law webpage: https://www.meti.go.jp/english/policy/economy/chizai/chiteki/index.html

Handbook for Protection of Confidential Information - Improving Corporate Value, last updated in February 2021 [Full text in Japanese, last updated in February 2024]; available on the Japanese webpage: https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/economy/chizai/chiteki/index.html)

Management Guidelines for Trade Secrets (last updated on January 23, 2019): https://www.meti.go.jp/english/policy/economy/chizai/chiteki/pdf/0813mgtc.pdf

National Institute for the Defense of Free Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI), Peru

Guía sobre el uso del ‘secreto empresarial’ como alternativa para la protección de las innovaciones y el desarrollo empresarial, 2020: https://repositorio.indecopi.gob.pe/handle/11724/7575

Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)

Trade Secrets Enterprise Guide, 2022: https://www.ipos.gov.sg/docs/default-source/resources-library/trade-secrets/trade-secrets-guide.pdf

Study on the Protection and Management of Trade Secrets in Singapore, 2021: https://www.ipos.gov.sg/docs/default-source/resources-library/trade-secrets/trade-secrets-public-report-2sept2021.pdf

Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM), Spain

Protocolo de Protección del Secreto Empresarial en los Juzgados Mercantiles: https://www.oepm.es/export/sites/oepm/comun/documentos_relacionados/Noticias/2019/2019_11_22_Protocolo_Proteccion_Secreto_Empresarial_en_los_JM.pdf

UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO)

The economic and innovation impacts of trade secrets (April 19, 2021), a report delivered by Dr. Nicola Searle on behalf of the IPO: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-and-innovation-impacts-of-trade-secrets/the-economic-and-innovation-impacts-of-trade-secrets

IP Finance Toolkit, 2015: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/478929/ip-finance-toolkit.pdf

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Trade secrets/regulatory data protection webpage: https://www.uspto.gov/ip-policy/trade-secret-policy

Intellectual Property Toolkit – Trade secrets: https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/tradesecretsiptoolkit.pdf

Andean Community Justice Tribunal (TJCA)

Jurisprudencia sobre el Secreto Empresarial & Datos de Prueba: https://www.tribunalandino.org.ec/index.php/jurisprudencia/clasificacion_tematica/propiedad_intelectual/propiedad_industrial/secreto_empresarial/

European Commission

Radauer, A., Bader, M., Aplin, T. et al., Study on the legal protection of trade secrets in the context of the data economy – Final report, 2022, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2826/021443

Trade secrets – Managing confidential business information, 2021, Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2826/449107

Non-disclosure agreement – A business tool, 2021, Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2826/547286

The scale and impact of industrial espionage and theft of trade secrets through cyber, 2018, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2873/48055

European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)

Trade secrets litigation trends in the EU, 2023: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2814/565721

The baseline of trade secrets litigation in the EU Member States, 2018: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2814/19869

Protecting Innovation through Trade Secrets and Patents: Determinants for European Union Firms, 2017: https://euipo.europa.eu/tunnel-web/secure/webdav/guest/document_library/observatory/documents/reports/Trade%20Secrets%20Report_en.pdf

OECD

Enquiries into Intellectual Property's Economic Impact, 2015, see in particular, Chapters 1 and 4: https://web-archive.oecd.org/2016-03-21/369774-intellectual-property-economic-impact.htm

Schultz, M. and Lippoldt D., “Approaches to Protection of Undisclosed Information (Trade Secrets): Background Paper”, OECD Trade Policy Papers, No. 162, 2014: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5jz9z43w0jnw-en

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

Protecting Trade Secrets - Recent EU and US Reforms, 2019

Handbook on Valuation of Intellectual Property Assets, 2019: https://www.iccgermany.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/icc-handbook-valuation-ip-assets-we.pdf

Licensing Executives Society International (LESI)

Special Issue: International Protection of Trade Secrets and Other Confidential Information, LVI, No.2, les Nouvelles, 2021

Sedona Conference publications

https://thesedonaconference.org/publications

The Sedona Conference Commentary on the Governance and Management of Trade Secrets (2023)

The Sedona Conference Commentary on Monetary Remedies in Trade Secret Litigation (2023)

The Sedona Conference Commentary on Cross-Border Discovery in U.S. Patent and Trade Secret Cases ("Stage Two") (2023)The

Sedona Conference Commentary on Equitable Remedies in Trade Secret Litigation (2022)

The Sedona Conference Commentary on Protecting Trade Secrets in Litigation About Them (2022)

The Sedona Conference Commentary on Protecting Trade Secrets Throughout the Employment Life Cycle (2022)

Others

Cook, T. (ed.) (2022). Trade Secret Protection: A Global Guide (2nd edition). Globe Law and Business Ltd.

Pooley, J.(1997). Trade Secrets (updated edition 2024. Law Journal Press.

Sandeen, S. and Rowe, E. A., (2018). Trade Secret Law in a Nutshell (2nd edition). West Academic Publishing.

Aplin, T., Bently, L., Johnson, P. and Malynicz, S. (2012). Gurry on Breach of Confidence: The Protection of Confidential Information (2nd edition). Oxford University Press Inc.