President Obama Signs Defend Trade Secrets Act Into Law

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).