This is a summary of state trade secret law in the United States and its territories. Although many U.S. states have adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA), each state is responsible for defining what constitutes a trade secret. This list draws on both statutory law and the case law interpreting it. +StateStatutory ProvisionElementsKey CasesAlabamaAla. Code. § 8-27-2(1)There are six elements that need to be met: a. Is used or intended for use in a trade or business; b. Is included or embodied in a formula, pattern, compilation, computer software, drawing, device, method, technique, or process; c. Is not publicly known and is not generally known in the trade or business of the person asserting that it is a trade secret; d. Cannot be readily ascertained or derived from publicly available information; e. Is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy; and f. Has significant economic value.Ex parte Miltope Corp., 823 So. 2d 640, 644–46 (Ala. 2001); Ex parte W.L. Halsey Grocery Co., 897 So. 2d 1028, 1034 (Ala. 2004); Movie Gallery US v. Greenshields, 648 F. Supp. 2d 1252, 1264 (M.D. Ala. 2009); Public Systems, Inc. v. Towry, 587 So. 2d 969, 972 (Ala. 1991)AlaskaAlaska Stat. Ann. § 45.50.940(3)(3) "trade secret" means information that (A) derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and (B) is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.State Dept. of Nat. Resources v. Arctic Slope Reg'l Corp., 834 P.2d 134, 139 (Alaska 1991) (the data obtained by the oil companies from the KIC well constituted a trade secret because the value of the data depended on its secrecy and the companies clearly attempted to maintain its secrecy)ArizonaAriz. Rev. Stat. § 44-401"Trade secret" means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique or process, that both: (a) Derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use. (b) Is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecyEnter. Leasing Co. v. Ehmke (the trade secret must not be known naturally by individuals within the area of business); W. L. Gore & Assocs. v. GI Dynamics, Inc. (not a trade secret if the information has been disclosed in a public domain such as a patent application)ArkansasA.C.A. § 4-75-601(4)Information qualifies as a trade secret if it is a compilation or process which derives economic value from being generally unknown and is subject to reasonable confidentiality efforts.Weigh Sys. South v. Mark's Scales & Equipment (2002) (whether information is a trade secret depends on: the extent to which information is known outside the business and within the business, measures to guard secrecy, economic value of the information, effort in developing information, and ease at which information could be duplicated); Vigoro Indus. v. Crisp (1996); Coenco, Inc. v. Coenco Sales, Inc. (1991) (information that is readily ascertainable to the public does not qualify for trade secret designation, even if there were efforts to keep potentially valuable confidential); Allen v. Johar, Inc. (1992) (customer lists generally constitute trade secrets)CaliforniaCal. Civ. Code § 3426.1"Trade secret" means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, or process, that: (1) Derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to the public or to other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and (2) Is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.MAI Sys. Corp. v. Peak Computer, Inc., 991 F.2d 511 (9th Cir. 1993) (plaintiff's database was a trade secret as it had potential economic value since it allowed a competitor to direct its sales efforts to those potential customers already using the MAI computer system; MAI also took reasonable steps to insure the secrecy of the information requiring employees to sign confidentiality agreements)ColoradoC.R.S. § 7-74-102"Trade secret" means the whole or any portion or phase of any scientific or technical information, design, process, procedure, formula, improvement, confidential business or financial information, listing of names, addresses, or telephone numbers, or other information relating to any business or profession which is secret and of value. To be a "trade secret" the owner thereof must have taken measures to prevent the secret from becoming available to persons other than those selected by the owner to have access thereto for limited purposes.Rumnock v. Anschultz, 2016 CO 77 (plaintiff's documents did not meet the confidentiality requirement for trade secret status because there was no evidence of any efforts to keep the documents confidential); Gognat v. Ellsworth, 259 P.3d 497 (the term "trade secret" refers to one complete asset, meaning that individual pieces of a compilation are not separate trade secrets)ConnecticutCon. Gen. Stat. § 35–51(d)A trade secret is a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, process, drawing, cost data, or customer list that "(1) derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use, and (2) is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy."Smith v. Snyder, 839 A.2d 589, 463 (Conn. 2004)DelawareDel. Code Ann. § 2001(4)"Trade secret" shall mean information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique or process, that: a. Derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and b. Is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.Dow Chemical Canada Inc. v. HRD Corp., 909 F.Supp.2d 340 (2012); AlixPartners, LLP v. Benichou, 250 A.3d 775 (2019)FloridaFla. Stat. Ann. § 688.002"Trade secret" means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, or process that: (a) Derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and (b) Is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.Yellowfin Yachts, Inc. v. Barker Boatworks, LLC, 898 F. 3d 1279, 1299 (11th Cir. 2018)GeorgiaGa. Code Ann. § 10-1-761(4)(1) technical or nontechnical data, a formula, a pattern, a compilation, a program, a device, a method, a technique, a drawing, a process, financial data, financial plans, product plans, or a list of actual or potential customers or suppliers (2) not commonly known by or available to the public (3) Derives economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use (4) Is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecyPenalty Kick Mgt. Ltd. v. Coca-Cola Co., 318 F.3d 1284, 1291 (11th Cir. 2003);Camp Creek Hosp. Inns, Inc. v. Sheraton Fran. Corp., 139 F.3d 1396, 1411 (11th Cir. 1998)HawaiiHaw. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 482B-2"Trade secret" means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program device, method, technique, or process that: (1) Derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and (2) Is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.IdahoIdaho Code § 48-801Information is a "trade secret" if it (a). derives economic value from (b.) not being generally known by others that could make economic use of it and (c.) not being readily and properly ascertainable by others that could make economic use of it, as well as (d.) being subject to reasonable efforts to maintain its secrecy.Basic Am. v. Shatila, 133 Idaho 726 (Idaho 1999)Illinois765 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 1065/2(d) "Trade secret" means information, including but not limited to, technical or non-technical data, a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, drawing, process, financial data, or list of actual or potential customers or suppliers, that: (1) is sufficiently secret to derive economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and (2) is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy or confidentiality.IndianaInd. Code § 24-2-3-2"Trade secret" means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, or process, that: (1) derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and (2) is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.IowaIowa Code Ann. § 550"Trade secret" means information, including but not limited to a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, or process that is both of the following elements: a. Derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by a person able to obtain economic value from its disclosure or use. b. Is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.KansasK.S.A. § 60-3320(4)i) economic value; ii) not generally known; iii) not readily ascertainable by proper means; iv) by others who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use, iv) subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstancesFireworks Spectacular, Inc. v. Premier Pyrotechnics, Inc., 147 F. Supp. 2d 1057 (D. Kan. 2001); DSMC, Inc. v. Convera Corp., 479 F. Supp. 2d 68 (D.D.C. 2007)KentuckyKy. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 365.880"Trade secret" means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, data, device, method, technique, or process, that: (a) Derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use, and (b) Is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.Alph C. Kaufman, Inc. v. Cornerstone Indus. Corp., 540 S.W.3d 803 (Ky. Ct. App. 2017); Insight Kentucky Partners II, L.P. v. Preferred Auto. Servs., Inc., 514 S.W.3d 537 (Ky. Ct. App. 2016)LouisianaLa. Stat. Ann. § 1431(4)(a) derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use, and