trade secret

The report equates the file downloads to the theft of “trade secrets,” arguing that the “economic value” to news reporters who obtained them would be “incalculable.”

Mr. Smith argued that Microsoft’s business in China served American interests by protecting the trade secrets of Microsoft’s American customers operating there and learning from what’s going on in the rest of the world.

The fee varies from industry to industry, and the fees that the largest merchants pay are typically a closely guarded trade secret.

In some cases, shims were installed on the wrong airplanes, said the employee, who asked not to be named because he fears Boeing might sue him for discussing trade secrets.

From a legal perspective, the question of whether one can sue for recipe theft often hinges on the nuances of intellectual property law, which encompasses copyright, patent, trademark and trade secrets.