Trade secrets, which in the world of intellectual property often take a back seat to patents, copyrights, and trademarks, have of late gained a prominent and important spot in global discussions of IP.
Stories of international "cyber-espionage" have been grabbing headlines. Washington, D.C., lawmakers have introduced legislation designed to make it easier for companies to file civil suits in federal court when their trade secrets are stolen. And now that the act of stealing trade secrets appears to have moved beyond corporations to state-sponsored theft, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden have taken up the issue with high-level officials in China.
