從智慧財產及商業法院營業秘密刑事判決建構保密措施制度之研究

Abstract

營業秘密法於民國85年公布及施行，當時僅賦予遭受侵害企業民事求償權，然因營業秘密已成為產業發展及競爭力之重要資產，我國於102年增訂刑事責任，以此來強化營業秘密保護。再者，營業秘密之成立須符合3項要件，其中最為關鍵之要件即為營業秘密所有人須採取合理保密措施，而智慧財產及商業法院（下稱法院）至今也已做成一定數量之刑事判決，對此一要件建立諸多判斷標準，自可做為企業建構營業秘密保密措施之實證研究基礎。 本文依據法院自102年至111年間所做成46個侵害營業秘密之刑事判決書進行分析，區分為「有罪類型」及「有罪以外類型」等二類案件，並對「有罪類型」案件進行有罪率、行為人動機、認罪、和解、量刑及緩刑等分析，以了解營業秘密刑事案件發生始末，期望能為將來相關研究及實務應用提供參考。 本文再分析法院於26個「有罪類型」案件中所接受之38項保密措施，依保密措施所適用身份別（即「企業內部人員」及「外部廠商」）及勞動關係時序（即「員工入職當下」、「員工在職期間」、「員工申請離職期間」、「員工離職後」）等方式，來建構一套可行保密措施制度，並參考法院判決內容及實務具體做法，逐一對38項保密措施進行說明，最後再介紹數種預防資料外洩之防護軟體。 本文期待能藉由以上研究，能提供檢察機關將來偵辦此類案件及立法機關未來修法之參考，更期盼能提供企業建立保密措施制度之參考依據，以協助企業降低營業秘密外洩風險及確保產業競爭力。

The Trade Secrets Act was promulgated and implemented in 1996. At that time, the Act only granted the aggrieved enterprises the right to seek civil remedies. However, due to the fact that trade secrets have become important assets for industrial development and competitiveness, Taiwan amended the Act in 2013 to include criminal liability, thereby strengthening the protection of trade secrets. Furthermore, the establishment of a trade secret must meet three criteria, with the most crucial being that the owner of the trade secret must take reasonable confidentiality measures. The Intellectual Property and Commercial Court (hereinafter referred to as the "Court") has already made numerous criminal judgments in relation to this criterion, establishing various standards for assessment. These judgments can serve as empirical research foundations for enterprises in constructing measures to safeguard trade secrets.

Based on the analysis of 46 criminal judgments on trade secret infringements made by the Court from 2013 to 2022, these cases were categorized into two types: "guilty type" and "non-guilty type." For the "guilty type" cases, an analysis was conducted on the conviction rate, motives of the offenders, guilty pleas, settlements, sentencing, and probation, aiming to understand the process of criminal cases related to trade secrets. It is hoped that this analysis will provide reference for future research and practical applications in this field.

This research further analyzes the 38 confidentiality measures accepted by the Court in 26 "guilty type" cases, and constructs a feasible system of confidentiality measures based on the identity of the applicable parties (i.e., "internal employees" and "external vendors") and the timeline of labor relations (i.e., "employee's entry date," "employee's tenure," "employee's notice period for resignation," "employee's post-employment"). This research also refers to the content of the Court’s judgments and specific practices in the industry, provides explanations for each of the 38 confidentiality measures, and introduces several software programs for preventing data leaks.

This research hopes that through the researches mentioned above, it can provide references for prosecutors offices in investigating similar cases in the future and for the legislature in amending laws. Furthermore, it aims to provide a basis for enterprises to establish confidentiality measures and assist them in reducing the risk of trade secret leakage and ensuring industrial competitiveness.