Sens. Hatch & Kerry Urge USTR Kirk to Protect Trade Secrets in TPP

On March 8, 2012, seven U.S. Senate Finance Committee members urged U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to preserve the highest standards of protection for trade secrets in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. According to the letter, which was spearheaded by Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Committee member John Kerry (D-MA), trade secrets are among the most valuable assets for many companies, particularly start-ups and SMEs since, unlike patents, they can be protected without registration or other formalities. The letter states that foreign governments have become adept at developing policies which effectively undermine the value of trade secret protection in order to advance national policy goals, at the expense of U.S. industry.