Eileen is ABC Manufacturing's chief production engineer. ABC is located in a state that has adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act USTA). After working at ABC for a year, Eileen decided to leave and work for XYZ Design and Engineering, ABC's chief competitor. On her way out the door, she stopped by the accounting office, waited until the filing clerk stepped out to the water cooler, and took a list of customers labeled "confidential" from a filing drawer. Can this customer list be protected as a trade secret?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The customer list can be protected as a trade secret because it has commercial value and is not in the public domain (A), and ABC only needs to use reasonable steps to keep the list secret (B). The fact that Eileen was able to take the list does not necessarily mean that ABC did not take appropriate steps to protect it, as the list was labeled "confidential" and kept in a filing drawer, indicating an attempt to maintain its secrecy.

Eileen Is ABC Manufacturing's Chief Production Engineer