82 FR 17413 - Notice of Public Meeting on Developments in Trade Secret Protection

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 68 (April 11, 2017)

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will be holding a public symposium on issues relevant to the protection of trade secrets. Since our last symposium on these issues in January 2015, the area of trade secret protection has continued to develop, most notably with the May 11, 2016, enactment of the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA). Given this legislation and the continuing domestic and international attention to trade secrets, the USPTO will be holding another public symposium to address recent developments.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 11, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 17413]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-07254]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 Patent and Trademark Office

[Docket No.: PTO-C-2017-0006]


Notice of Public Meeting on Developments in Trade Secret 
Protection

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of symposium.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will be 
holding a public symposium on issues relevant to the protection of 
trade secrets. Since our last symposium on these issues in January 
2015, the area of trade secret protection has continued to develop, 
most notably with the May 11, 2016, enactment of the Defend Trade 
Secrets Act (DTSA). Given this legislation and the continuing domestic 
and international attention to trade secrets, the USPTO will be holding 
another public symposium to address recent developments.

DATES:  The symposium will be held on May 8, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 4 
p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: The symposium will be held at the auditorium of the United 
States Patent and Trademark Office, Madison Building, 600 Dulany 
Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. All major entrances to the building 
are accessible to people with disabilities.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the 
symposium, please contact Michael Smith, Jenny Blank, or Hollis 
Robinson at the Office of Policy and International Affairs, by 
telephone at (571) 272-9300, by email at [email protected], or by 
postal mail addressed to: Mail Stop OPIA, United States Patent and 
Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, ATTN: 
Michael Smith, Jenny Blank, or Hollis Robinson. Please direct all media 
inquiries to the Office of the Chief Communications Officer, USPTO, at 
(571) 272-8400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Trade Secret Symposium

    Under U.S. law, trade secrets comprise commercially valuable 
information not generally known or readily ascertainable to the public, 
that are subject to reasonable measures to maintain confidentiality. In 
May 2016, the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA) established a 
federal private civil cause of action for the misappropriation of a 
trade secret, with the aim to provide businesses with a uniform, 
reliable and predictable way to protect their valuable trade secrets 
anywhere in the country. Given this legislation and the continuing 
domestic and international attention to trade secrets, the USPTO will 
hold a public symposium on recent developments in the protection of 
trade secrets. Topics to be discussed include: (1) Measuring the Value 
of Secrecy; (2) Use of the DTSA in Practice; (3) Differences in Trade 
Secret Protection in Foreign Jurisdictions; and (4) Considerations of 
Business Owners in International Cases. Experts from academia, private 
legal practice, international organizations, and industry will serve as 
panelists.

Instructions and Information on the Public Symposium

    The symposium will be held on May 8, 2017, at the auditorium of the 
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Madison Building, 600 Dulany 
Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314. The symposium will begin at 9 a.m. 
and end at 4 p.m. EDT. The agenda will be available a week in advance 
on the USPTO Web site, https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/enforcement/trade-secret-symposium. Pre-registration is 
available at http://www.cvent.com/d/45q976. Attendees may also register 
at the door one half-hour prior to the beginning of the symposium.
    The symposium will be physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Individuals requiring accommodation, such as sign 
language interpretation or other ancillary aids, should communicate 
their needs to Hollis Robinson at the Office of Policy and 
International Affairs, by telephone at (571) 272-9300, by email at 
[email protected], or by postal mail addressed to: Mail Stop 
OPIA, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, 
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, ATTN: Hollis Robinson, at least seven (7) 
business days prior to the symposium.

    Dated: April 5, 2017.
Michelle K. Lee,
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of 
the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2017-07254 Filed 4-10-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-16-P