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H.R. 3326 · 114th Congress

Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2015

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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 114th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.

DCR CollinsSponsor
164 cosponsors · 60 D, 104 R
SCR Chabot JCD Conyers TDD Deutch SDD DelBene TFR Franks BFR Farenthold BGR Guthrie RHR Hanna GHR Holding HJD Jeffries TMR Marino JND Nadler TRR Reed CRD Richmond LSR Smith CCR Collins AKR Kinzinger TYR Yoho END Norton FPD Pallone SPD Peters ESD Swalwell JCD Chu SCD Cohen PMR McHenry KCR Cramer RDR Davis JFR Forbes PPD Pierluisi MWR Walters MPR Pompeo BLR Long FSR Sensenbrenner SGR Graves TPR Poe RAR Abraham KBR Buck GCD Connolly DCD Cicilline SJD Jackson Lee HJD Johnson BLR Luetkemeyer MTD Takai MBR Bost BCR Carter JRR Ratcliffe JSR Smith MSR Simpson RCR Crawford BJR Johnson MBR Bishop SKR Knight DLR LaMalfa AWR Wagner JCD Carney ASR Scott TKR Kelly DNR Nunes KCR Calvert DVR Valadao RBR Blum MCD Cartwright BCR Comstock DRR Rouzer LJR Jenkins DBR Benishek RNR Neugebauer DNR Newhouse EPR Paulsen BTD Thompson JWR Walorski JBD Brownley FLR Lucas FLR LoBiondo PWD Welch LWR Westmoreland SWR Womack RAR Allen JDR Denham SKR King BLR Loudermilk BWR Wenstrup BAD Ashford BBR Byrne DLR LaHood KMR Marchant SMD Moulton GND Napolitano MSR Salmon GTR Thompson TGR Graves DTR Trott BDR Dold JCR Chaffetz JHR Hice JKD Kennedy JJR Jordan PMR Meehan TDD Duckworth JMR Moolenaar BPR Poliquin CBR Boustany VHR Hartzler DLD Loebsack NTD Tsongas LMR Messer HGR Griffith JBD Beatty RER Ellmers KCD Clark JKR Katko PTR Tiberi MBR Blackburn RPR Pittenger CCR Curbelo TER Emmer RHR Hudson JRR Renacci DHR Hunter DYR Young FGR Guinta TRR Rooney JCD Courtney SPR Perry LSD Slaughter EED Esty KSD Schrader LBR Barletta KBD Bass CBD Bustos JLD Larson GMD Moore CPD Pingree KRD Rice MWR Walker DBR Brat RHR Hultgren EJR Jenkins PMD Murphy PSR Sessions SBD Bishop AED Eshoo WKD Keating AKD Kuster RCR Costello GMD Meeks ESR Stefanik JVD Vargas BPD Pascrell MQD Quigley DBD Beyer SDR DesJarlais JHD Himes DKD Kilmer DPD Price MCD Capuano BFR Flores LGD Gutiérrez MMR McCaul DLD Lipinski DRR Reichert BSR Shuster EBD Blumenauer SBD Bonamici

15 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

This bill amends the federal criminal code to create a private civil cause of action for trade secret misappropriation.

What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Jul 29, 2015

Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2015

This bill amends the federal criminal code to create a private civil cause of action for trade secret misappropriation.

Specifically, the bill authorizes a trade secret owner to file a civil action in a U.S. district court seeking relief for trade secret misappropriation related to a product or service in interstate or foreign commerce. It establishes remedies, such as an injunction and damages. The statute of limitation is set at five years from the date of discovery of the misappropriation.

A trade secret owner may apply for and a court may grant a seizure order to prevent dissemination of the trade secret if the court makes specific findings, including that an immediate and irreparable injury will occur if seizure is not ordered. A court must take custody of the seized materials and hold a seizure hearing within seven days.

Any party harmed by the order may move to dissolve or modify the order and may also seek relief against the applicant of the seizure order for wrongful or excessive seizure.

The Department of Justice must submit to Congress and publish a biannual report on trade secret theft outside the United States.

The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) trade secret theft occurs in the United States and around the world, (2) trade secret theft harms owner companies and their employees, and (3) the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 applies broadly to protect trade secrets from theft.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2015

Latest action (Oct 1, 2015): Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.

Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement · Origin: House · Introduced: Jul 29, 2015

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.