Fall 2023
5232 Trade Secrets - BEEBE- 18725
Professor(s):
James Beebe (ADJUNCT)
Credits: 2
Course Areas: Intellectual Property and Information Law
Business and Commercial Law
Time: 5:30p-7:30p W Location: 207
Course Outline: In 2016, trade secret law became more important when the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) became federal law. This course studies the doctrine surrounding trade secrets – secret information that gives a company a competitive advantage. It examines ways in which an organization can identify and protect trade secret rights, as well as methods for enforcing those rights in court and otherwise focused predominantly on the trade secret misappropriation through an in-depth discussion of various provisions of the Uniform Trade Secret Act (state law), the DTSA (federal law), the Economic Espionage Act (federal law), and relevant case law. The course also examines issues related to employment (training, policy, hiring, firing), non-disclosure agreements, the relationship between trade secret law and unfair competition, and implied obligations concerning the use of confidential information. Most commercial litigators regularly have trade secret causes of action, so trade secret law is important for both the IP-litigator and the general litigator alike. It is also important for the transactional attorney, particularly as it relates to compliance and data protection.
Course Syllabus: Syllabus
Course Notes: (Synchronous Online) The UH registration system instruction mode for this course is listed in parenthesis. After student registration opens, there may be instruction mode changes to this course up through two weeks before the first day of classes for the term, but notice of such changes will be sent to then-registered students. Contrary to the UH information, some student materials may not be available online, such as an assigned casebook. A physical classroom may be assigned for this course to give students a location in the Law Center to join the virtual class sessions. If the course has a final examination, the final and any other assessment for the course, such as a mid term exam, will be conducted without the need to physically come to the Law Center, such as, for example, via the EBB portal as a take home exam or under remote proctoring.
This is an LL.M class, and JD students may register, if space is available.
Prerequisites: None
First Day Assignments:
Final Exam Schedule: 12/6 6-8pm
This course will have:
Exam:
Paper:
Satisfies Senior Upper Level Writing Requirement: No
Experiential Course Type: No
Bar Course: No
DistanceEd ABA: Yes
Pass-Fail Student Election: Available
Course Materials
No book required for this course
Course Materials: Yes on Canvas site
