Not applicable for this jurisdiction.

Confidential information and trade secrets are protected for as long as the relevant information is kept confidential. The degree of protection diminishes if the information ceases to be objectively a secret due to its previous disclosure or because it has been obtained independently by other parties.

There are no specific statutory limits applicable to trade secret rights. For breach of a confidentiality agreement (or provisions), a 6-year limitation period applies in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.  A 3-year limitation period applies in the Northern Territory.

Indefinite, as long as protection criteria are met.

Not applicable.

Not applicable for this jurisdiction.

Courts will grant protection against unauthorized use or disclosure of trade secrets so long as the information is communicated in confidence and has the quality of confidence; thus, trade secrets can be protected theoretically in perpetuity.

Confidential information generally remains exclusive only so long as secrecy is preserved.

Indefinite, as long as it is kept secret.

Trade secret protection is theoretically perpetual until the trade secret goes into the public domain.

Trade secrets may be protected for as long as they comply with the conditions established in Article 260 of Decision 486. Consequently, the duration of the protection might be perpetual if the information remains as a trade secret. Nonetheless, the duration of the right is limited to the fact that the information becomes public as a consequence of an act attributable to the owner or because of a legal order.

Unlimited (as long as all definition elements are fulfilled).

The duration of a trade secret is for as long as the trade secret meets the definition of a trade secret under the Act on Protection of Trade Secrets.

There is no maximum term for protection. As long as the secret has commercial value, it is not generally known by the public and the holder of the secret has used reasonable measures in order to protect the secret, the secret will be protected by law.

As long as secrecy is preserved.

Information is protectable as a trade secret as long as the information qualifies as trade secret – that is, especially as long as it is not commonly known.

Trade secrets can be protected as long as they remain confidential, potentially in perpetuity.

Potentially perpetual, as long as it does not become part of the public domain.

Trade secrets may be protected if contractually agreed between the concerned parties. However, any trade secret that:

• Is known by a receiving party prior to receiving the trade secret from the disclosing party.

• Becomes rightfully known to the receiving party from a 3rd-party source, through no fault of the receiving party.

• Becomes publicly available through no fault of or failure to act by the receiving party in breach of this Agreement.

• Is required to be disclosed in a judicial or administrative proceeding, or is otherwise requested or required to be disclosed by law or regulation.

• Has been independently developed by employees, consultants or agents of a receiving party without violation of the terms of the contract.

Cannot be protected under contract as a trade secret.

No person can be restrained from seeking employment with a competitor on the grounds of disclosure of trade secrets. Indian courts do not enforce non-compete clauses beyond the duration of employment under the contract. However, Indian courts may enjoin an ex-employee from disclosing trade secrets of a former employer to a future employer.

Information qualifies as a trade secret and is given protection as long as:

• The information remains confidential, known only by certain people or not known by the public in general.
• The confidentiality of the information has economic value.
• The owner or the parties that control the information have taken necessary and made an appropriate effort to maintain the information's confidentiality.

Trade secret and confidential information protection has a potentially indefinite term provided the quality of confidence is maintained.

Information can remain protected as a trade secret as long as the information remains confidential and does not enter the public domain.

The duration of protection is potentially perpetual as long as the abovementioned requirements sub i., ii., iii. are in place.

There is no specific duration of right or protection period of time under the UCPA. As long as a trade secret falls under a trade secret defined under the UCPA, it will be protected as such by the UCPA.

Not applicable for this jurisdiction.

As long as reasonable efforts are taken by the owner of the information to maintain the information as a trade secret; trade secret protection is potentially perpetual.

In principle, unlimited, provided that the trade secrets retain their commercial value due to its secrecy.

Trade secrets can lose the necessary quality of confidence if they are no longer required to remain protected as confidential information, but otherwise, the protection has a potentially indefinite term.

Information not provided.

As long as the secret has commercial value and is not known by others outside the company, the secret will have legal trade secret protection.

N/A

As long as reasonable efforts are taken by the owner of the information to maintain the information as a trade secret, the duration of protection is potentially perpetual.

A trade secret is protected as long as the information is kept confidential and remains of economic value. As a result of the implementation of Directive (EU) 2016/943, the previous statutory 3-year non-disclosure time limit relating to employees or persons working for an enterprise under civil law contracts was removed from the Polish legal system (now there is no particular time limit for the protection of trade secrets based on the provisions on combating unfair competition). There are also some statutory exemptions aimed at protecting the public interest and social values (eg, freedom of speech), describing when an infringement will not occur.

Information is protected as secret for so long as it qualifies as secret.

As long as reasonable efforts are taken by the owner of the information to maintain the information as a trade secret, the duration of protection may be perpetual.

Trade secret protection is potentially perpetual if the owner can keep the information secret.

As long as reasonable efforts are taken by the owner of the information to maintain the information as a trade secret, the Trade Secrets Regulations do not expressly provide for a limit on the duration of the right, although a minimum protection period of 5 years is specified (subject to limited exceptions) in the context of secret information submitted to an official competent authority for the purpose of approval of the marketing of drugs or chemical agricultural products in which new chemical substances are used.

There is no specified time limit within which the secret may be protected.

The duration of the right to a business secret depends on the fulfillment of its defining criteria. Thus, as long as a piece of information fulfills the defining criteria for a business secret, it shall be protected as a business secret.

The term of protection is potentially perpetual as long as the prescribed definition is met.

No specific duration of trade secret right is set forth under Spanish law. They are protected as long as they are considered trade secrets and protected as such. Claims for infringement of Trade Secrets Act do elapse, however, after 3 years

As long as the secret has a commercial value and is not generally known by others outside the company the secret will be protected by law.

There is no specific time limitation for protection. Trade secrets are protected by law as long as they remain secret and are covered by a subjective and objective interest to be kept secret.

Trade secret can be protected as long as it is confidential.

As long as reasonable efforts are taken by the owner of the information to maintain the information as a secret, it will qualify as a trade secret.

No time limits are placed on the confidentiality of the trade secret, and so this right will exist for as long as the information remains a trade secret.

Trade secret protection has a potentially indefinite term.

However, information can lose the necessary quality of confidence and hence no longer be protectable, for example, if it enters the public domain, becomes out of date or loses its commercial value. In addition, where the obligation of confidentiality arises under a contract, the duty of confidentiality will only apply for the duration specified in the contract.

As long as reasonable efforts are taken by the owner of the information to maintain the information as a trade secret, the duration of protection is potentially perpetual.