Growth bericht: "The Commission’s proposal to create common rules for the protection of companies' know-how and business information came a big step closer to becoming law when the European Parliament, Council and European Commission reached a preliminary agreement on 15 December 2015.
Trade secrets are already protected at national level, but current national law only gives a patchwork of protection across the EU, with gaps and disparities, and some legislation is simply out of date. That is why European companies, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), have asked for a clear and uniform set of legal rules to facilitate access to civil action – which is what the European Commission proposed in 2013.
The Commission's proposal only deals with unlawful conduct by which someone acquires or discloses, without authorisation and through illicit means, information of commercial value that companies treat as confidential in order to keep a competitive advantage over their competitors. Companies won't be able to invoke a blanket protection of trade secrets to avoid investigation or hide bad behaviour, and someone who discovers illegal activity cannot be gagged by the provisions of this legislation.
Once the European Parliament and Council formalise their agreement and the proposal becomes law, the EU will be an even better place to innovate and do business in. And that’s good for growth and jobs."
Lees hier meer.