trade secret

noun

: something (such as a formula) which has economic value to a business because it is not generally known or easily discoverable by observation and for which efforts have been made to maintain secrecy

Examples of trade secret in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The only exceptions allow for litigation in court over disputes involving intellectual property and trade secrets, small claims, and provisional remedies, like a preliminary injunction. Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 6 Dec. 2023 Gong, 57, of San Jose, was charged Tuesday with theft of trade secrets, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024 Interestingly, Tata’s alleged behavior - breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, and unfair competition - reads as eerily similar to Epic’s own alleged conduct in an early-2000s lawsuit with IDX, which the parties settled privately before proceeding to trial. Seth Joseph, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 The Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America contended in a lawsuit that a requirement to disclose information — including marketing and R&D spending — about a drug that underwent a price hike was forcing companies to reveal trade secrets. Ed Silverman, STAT, 23 Feb. 2024 The 57-year-old San Jose man copied more than 3,600 files containing trade secrets relating to nuclear launch detection and tracking systems, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a Feb. 7 news release. Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 7 Feb. 2024 Disney wants to keep confidential any proprietary information or trade secrets that comes out of its state court fight with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees over who controls the governing district at Walt Disney World. Mike Schneider, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2024 According to the complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, lawyers for Ye said the leaks amount to theft of a trade secret. Diana Dasrath, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2023 Simply reading the patent files does not reveal the entirety of the technology, as many trade secrets and technical know-how are not included in the patents (e.g., Price II et al. 2020). Quora, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trade secret.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trade secret was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near trade secret

Cite this Entry

“Trade secret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade%20secret. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

trade secret

noun
trade se·​cret
: a formula, process, device, or item of information used by a business that has economic value because it is not generally known or easily discovered by observation or examination and for which reasonable efforts to maintain secrecy have been made

Note: Trade secrets are a form of intellectual property. Many states have enacted laws which create an action for damages or injunctive relief against misappropriation of trade secrets by improper means. Information contained in a patent is not protected as a trade secret.

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