CSO

Trade secrets are confidential business information that have value because they are not generally known and are the subject of efforts by the business to keep the information confidential. The most well known example of a trade secret is the formula for Coke. Every company, however, has trade secrets (e.g., customer lists, source code for software, methods of creating products, etc.). Every state has enacted laws to protect trade secrets. There are also federal laws that provide additional protection for trade secrets by way of severe civil and criminal penalties for theft or other misappropriation of trade secrets.