Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA): Federal law enacted in 2016 that provides uniform federal protection for trade secrets and allows companies to file trade secret cases directly in federal courts
Economic Espionage Act: Federal law from 1996 that criminalizes trade secret theft, particularly focusing on foreign economic espionage and trade secret theft intended to benefit foreign powers
Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA): Model law adopted by most states that provides consistent state-level protection for trade secrets and defines remedies for misappropriation
Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA): Federal copyright law that protects digital content and may be relevant for digital design files and documentation
Copyright Act of 1976: Federal law providing protection for original works of authorship, including certain design elements and documentation
State Trade Secret Laws: State-specific variations of trade secret protection that may provide additional or different protections than federal law
State Contract Laws: State-specific rules governing contract formation, enforcement, and interpretation that affect confidentiality agreements
State Statutes of Limitations: Time limits set by each state for bringing legal actions related to contract breaches or trade secret misappropriation
State Employment Laws: State-specific regulations governing employee relationships and restrictions on employee confidentiality obligations
Patent Laws: Federal laws governing the protection of novel, non-obvious, and useful inventions, which may apply to certain design elements
Trade Dress Protection: Aspect of trademark law that protects the visual appearance of a product or its packaging
Industry-Specific Regulations: Specialized regulations that may apply to designs in particular industries (e.g., FDA regulations for medical devices, FCC regulations for electronic devices)
