This is the third edition of the first casebook in the United States devoted exclusively to trade secret law. As with previous editions, it is challenging yet user-friendly to students in order to facilitate their reading and understanding of the material. It is designed to be used by law students (and business students) with no prior background in intellectual property law. Most of the cases added to this third edition are recent cases that apply the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA).

Due to the breadth of the subject matter, professors who teach trade secret law need not be intellectual property experts, but can specialize in a variety of fields, including employment law, torts, and unfair competition. The casebook also provides the context to re-teach and reinforce many of the basic concepts of law that students learned as 1L’s, including tort law, contract law, property law, civil procedure, constitutional law, and criminal law.

The authors have made conscious and thoughtful decisions about the way in which the information throughout the casebook is presented and organized. The general organization of the casebook follows a logical analytical approach to understanding trade secret law with the chapters progressing from proving the essential elements of a trade secret claim to defensive tactics and remedies, managing trade secrets, and criminal actions. It also addresses employment, management, and international issues.