After the public hearing on proposed amendments to the Trade Secrets Act in late April. the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office revised its draft bill criminalizing trade secret theft. Here is our translation.
第十三條之一
Article 13-1
意圖為自己或第三人不法之利益，或損害營業秘密所有人之利益，而有下列情形之一，處五年以下有期徒刑或拘役，得併科新臺幣五萬元以上一千萬元以下罰金：
A person who, intending to procure an unlawful benefit for himself or for a third person or intending to injure the interests of the owner of a trade secret, does any of the following, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than five years, or detention, and may additionally be fined a criminal fine of not less than NT$50,000 and not more than NT$10 million:
一、以竊取、侵占、詐術、脅迫、擅自重製或其他不正方法而取得營業秘密者。
1. acquires a trade secret by stealing, embezzlement, fraud, coercion, unauthorized reproduction, or other improper conduct;
二、前款之行為人取得營業秘密後，而使用或洩漏者。
2. uses or discloses a trade secret after the actor in the preceding sub-paragraph obtains it;
三、知悉或持有營業秘密，未經授權或逾越授權範圍而重製、使用或洩漏該營業秘密者。
3. knowing of or possessing a trade secret, reproduces, uses, or discloses that trade secret without authorization or exceeding the scope of authorization;
四、知悉或持有營業秘密，經營業秘密所有人告知應刪除、銷燬後，不為刪除、銷燬或仍為隱匿該營業秘密者。
4. knowing of or possessing a trade secret, fails to delete or destroy the trade secret after having been instructed to do so by the owner of the trade secret or who continues to conceal the trade secret;
五、明知係他人因前四款所取得、重製、使用或洩漏之營業秘密，而取得、使用或洩漏者。
5. acquires, uses, or discloses a trade secret knowing that a trade secret was acquired, reproduced, used, or disclosed by another person under the preceding four sub-paragraphs.
Any attempt to commit the crime in the preceding paragraph is punishable.
第十三條之二
Article 13-2
意圖在外國、大陸地區、香港或澳門使用，而犯前條第一項各款之罪者，處六月以上五年以下有期徒刑，得併科新台幣五十萬元以上五千萬元以下之罰金。
Whoever commits an offense listed in any subparagraph of paragraph 1 of the preceding article with the intent to use [a trade secret] in a foreign country, the Mainland Region, Hong Kong, or Macau shall be imprisoned for not less than six months and not more than five years and may additionally be fined a criminal fine of not less than NT$500,000 and not more than NT$50 million.
前項之未遂犯罰之。
Any attempt to commit the crime in the preceding paragraph is punishable.
第十三條之三
Article 13-3
前二條之罪，須告訴乃論。
Prosecution for the offenses specified in the previous two articles may be instituted only upon complaint.
第十三條之四
Article 13-4
法人之代表人、法人或自然人之代理人、受雇人或其他從業人員，因執行業務，犯第十三條之一、第十三條之二之罪者，除依該條規定處罰其行為人外，對該法人或自然人亦科該條之罰金。但法人之代表人或自然人對於犯罪之發生，已盡力為防止行為者，不在此限。
When the representative of a legal person, the agent of a legal person or a natural person, an employee, or other personnel commits one of the offenses defined in Articles 13-1 and 13-2 in the course of his duties, the legal person or natural person shall also be fined under the provisions of those articles in addition to the punishment of the actor. If however the representative of the legal person or the natural person has done his utmost to prevent these acts, he shall be exempt from the fine.
對前項行為人、法人或自然人之一方告訴或撤回告訴者，其效力不及於他方。
The effect of the initiation or withdrawal of a complaint against any one of an actor, legal person, or natural person under the preceding paragraph shall not extend to others.
第十四條之一
Article 14-1
侵害營業秘密之民事訴訟，主張營業秘密受侵害或有受侵害之虞者，已表明構成侵害行為之物或方法之具體態樣，如相對人否認其侵害行為，應表明自己行為之具體態樣。但相對人有無法表明之正當理由者，不在此限。
In civil proceedings arising from infringement of trade secrets, where a party asserting infringement of trade secrets or a likelihood of infringement has clarified the concrete circumstances of the thing or method constituting the infringement and the counterparty denies the acts of infringement, the counterparty shall clarify the concrete circumstances of his acts. This duty [to clarify] shall not apply if the counterparty has good reason for his inability to clarify.