Reports to EC Note Lack of Uniformity in Trade Secrets, 'Parasitic' Copying Law

摘要

There is a marked lack of uniformity in the protection of trade secrets and protections from "parasitic" copying from one member state to another in the European Union and the law fails to give trade secrets the same levels of protection as other intellectual property, according to two reports submitted on January 13 to the European Commission. The reports, prepared by Hogan Lovells International, are the result of a study commissioned by the European Commission in March. The Commission asked for a comparison of trade secret protection law and laws regarding parasitic copying - that is, knockoffs or look-alike packaging - and requested recommendations for changes to the structure of such legal regimes.