President Obama Signs Defend Trade Secrets Act Into Law

President Obama Signs Defend Trade Secrets Act Into Law

May 11, 2016, Covington Alert

On Wednesday, May 11, 2016, President Barack Obama signed into law the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (“DTSA”), which creates a federal civil cause of action for trade secret misappropriation. The Senate passed the DTSA on April 4, 2016 by a unanimous vote of 87-0. The Senate bill (S. 1890) was passed by the House of Representatives without amendment on April 27, 2016 by a vote of 410-2. The legislation was introduced in the Senate by Senators Hatch (R-UT) and Coons (D-DE), and companion legislation in the House (H.R. 3326) was introduced by Representatives Doug Collins (R-GA) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).