美國經濟間諜法施行成效之探討

電腦、網路興盛及使用的速度，使美國國家安全與營業秘密維護，結合科技成爲一體兩面的關係，基此，美國於1996年制定公布經濟間諜法（the Economic Espionage Act of 1996，EEA），EEA是規範侵害營業祕密及從事商業間諜行爲的聯邦法，特別針對由外國政府或機構在幕後支持，竊取美國研發科技或政府資訊的經濟間諜活動；EEA施行至今是否達成當時立法之施行成效，即維持在全球市場上的美國經濟競爭力，避免營業秘密被不當的剽竊或破壞，且有效防制外國經濟間諜行動，因而本文將先說明當時EEA之立法背景，其次，介紹美國規範經濟間諜及營業秘密之相關法規；再論述EEA施行後所面對之難題，如外國經濟間諜所造成的威脅，美國公司防止經濟間諜的步驟太慢，法律規範需要保障新的知識領域，因此EEA規範是否有不足之處；最後探討是否有制定美國聯邦營業秘密法之必要性，希冀本研究對營業秘密保護及經濟間諜等主題能提供若干新思維。

Congress passed the Economic Espionage Act in 1996. The Economic Espionage Act was the first federal statute to criminalize the theft of trade secrets which federalized criminal trade secret law. Trade secrets, by contrast, are governed by fifty state statutes and common laws. It is time for trade secrets to join the other types of IP at the federal level, However, in light of the new threat of cyber espionage from Beijing, the EEA provides a useful model for Congress, which should enact new, comprehensive anti-hacking legislation, and for the Obama Administration, this article seeks to analyze the efficacy of the Economic Espionage Act by studying recent cases of Chinese economic espionage in the United States. The most recent step toward unification came in 1996 when Congress passed the Economic Espionage Act, [FN23] which makes misappropriation of trade secrets a federal crime. Because the Act addressed only criminal misappropriation, this article suggested the need for a federal statute to address civil misappropriation by enacting a Federal Trade Secrets Act (FTSA). And since 1996, federal courts have decided trade secret cases under the Economic Espionage Act.