Affärshemligheter i samtid och framtid

Sammanfattning: Trade secrets represent great values in modern society. They can however not be considered assets if they are not protected, legally or otherwise. The present dissertation examines the legal protection of trade secrets as assets in business life. The study compares the law of France, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden.The study reveals that the legal protection in these countries has its origin in the theories and ideals of industrial society. The present protection does not meet the needs in modern economic life.The study concludes that the legal protection of trade secrets in the laws of the countries in question is very different, even down to the fundamental functions of the legal system. The legal rules set out to protect trade secrets are also mainly casuistic in a way that makes them not adaptable to socio-economic change. The Swedish Act on the Protection of Trade Secrets could be altered to meet the needs of today, but these alterations can not only concern minor details. The Act must be reviewed as a whole.