The master's thesis presents the Slovenian regulation of trade secrets after the implementation of the European directive, with emphasis on civil law consequences in case of unlawful acquisition, use and disclosure of trade secrets. The master's thesis deals with the protection of trade secrets as an alternative or supplement to intellectual property rights, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of both forms of legal protection. The advantage of patent protection is recognized mainly in the prohibition of reverse engineering, which is considered to be a lawful way of obtaining trade secrets. The master's thesis further notes that the European and American regulations on the protection of trade secrets are very similar, the largest deviation is observed regarding whistle-blowers. The master's thesis finds that civil law claims available to the holder of a trade secret against the infringer look effective at least on paper, but points out that before making any conclusions, it will be necessary to wait for the case law, which will most likely be based on already established case law regarding claims under the Intellectual Property Law. Finally, the master's thesis highlights the deviations of the national regulation from the European directive and the potential problems, related to this.
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