To the surprise of many and the dismay of more than sixteen million United Kingdom
voters, the previously unthinkable has occurred, the UK has voted
to leave the European Union. In a tightly contested referendum,
voters have chosen to end UK's time as an EU member. Though the
referendum is not technically legally binding, most expect the
government to heed the voice of the people.
Prior to the referendum, the EU had been working for several
years on a Directive on Trade Secrets. An EU directive is
legislation that sets a goal for every EU member state to achieve.
It is, however, up to each state to compose their own laws to reach
the goals of the directive. As we have
discussed, the EU Directive on Trade Secrets was initially
proposed in November of 2013. After years of hard work, a revised
Directive was adopted by the EU Council in May 2016. The EU member
states have two years to implement the Directive into national
law.
