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My name is Sandra Yin, a Taiwan-based lawyer specializing in trade secrets litigation. The purpose of this series is to share the practical experience I have accumulated over the course of my career, helping you gain a deeper understanding of how to protect your rights and safeguard your proprietary information.

What Is a Confidentiality Preservation Order?

Litigation tends to lead to disclosure. Written arguments and evidence must be served to the opposing party. Questions from the judges must be answered. Hearings are in principle open to the public. Judicial opinions are published online. However, in intellectual property and commercial litigation, when certain requirements are met, a party may file a motion—without the opposing party’s consent—for a Confidentiality Preservation Order (hereinafter “CPO”), prohibiting anyone who has learned of a trade secret through litigation from disclosing it, thereby avoiding harm to the integrity of such trade secret.

How to Apply for a Confidentiality Preservation Order?

The procedural requirements and effects of an CPO are, for intellectual property litigation, governed by Articles 36 through 40 and Articles 72 and 73 of the Intellectual Property Case Adjudication Act (hereinafter the “IPCA Act”), and are applicable mutatis mutandis to criminal cases pursuant to Article 66, Paragraph 1 of the same Act. The relevant provisions applicable to commercial litigation are Articles 55 through 59 and Articles 76 and 77 of the Commercial Case Adjudication Act (hereinafter the “CCA Act”)[1]. The key aspects are as follows:

I. Requirements for Filing[2]

1. The content of a party’s written submissions or evidence involves the movant’s trade secrets.
2. The movant must be the holder of the trade secret, but is not limited to a party to the litigation—a non-party may also file a motion. In intellectual property cases, if the trade secret holder, after being advised by the court, refuses to file a motion, a party who is not a trade secret holder may also file a motion[3], so as to avoid delay of the litigation.
3. The applicant must demonstrate prima facie: (1) that the information meets the requirements for a trade secret, and (2) that disclosure of the information would impair the movant’s business activities.

The term “demonstrate prima facie” (釋明) means to persuade the court that such claim is “probably true.” In general, as long as the confidential information bears the appearance of a trade secret, the court will grant the CPO without excessive scrutiny.

II. Persons Subject to the Order

1. The CPO may be directed at “the opposing party, parties, agents, assistants ad litem, or other persons related to the litigation”[4]—in other words, all persons who may come into contact with the trade secret by way of the litigation. In addition to the opposing party, it is advisable to include their attorneys, agents, the company’s responsible person, in-house counsel or technical personnel serving as assistants ad litem.
2. The order may only be directed at natural persons, not legal entities[5].

III. Effects of the CPO[6]

1. The trade secret shall not be used for any purpose other than the litigation.
2. The trade secret shall not be disclosed to any person not subject to the CPO.

IV. Criminal Liability for Violating the CPO

1. The violator personally: In intellectual property cases, the penalty is imprisonment of up to three years, detention, and/or a fine of up to NT$1,000,000; where critical technologies of national interests are involved, the penalty is enhanced[7]. In commercial matters, the penalty is imprisonment of up to three years, detention, and/or a fine of up to NT$100,000[8].
2. If the violator is (1) a responsible person of a legal entity, (2) a manager or representative of a non-legal entity, or (3) an agent, employee, or other worker of a legal entity, non-legal entity, or natural person, and the violation was committed in the course of performing their duties, then the legal entity, non-legal entity, or natural person shall also be subject to a fine[9].

V. Contents of the Motion

1. The movant.
2. The non-movant: i.e., the person who should be subject to the CPO.
3. Prayer for relief: “The non-movant [name] shall not use the litigation materials listed in Exhibit X for any purpose other than for conducting the present litigation, nor disclose them to any person not subject to a Confidentiality Preservation Order.”
4. Subject matter of the motion: preferably presented in an exhibit, which should specify the name of the trade secret, the item numbers of the evidence or the page numbers in the court file.
5. Grounds: i.e., a prima facie demonstration of how the three requirements for a trade secret are met, as well as the harm that the movant would suffer if the information were disclosed.

In addition, a copy of the motion should be served directly on the non-movant.

What Should I Do If I Were to Move for or Respond to a CPO?

If you are the movant, pay special attention to the following:

1. Before the court issues the CPO ruling, written submissions and evidence containing confidential information should be filed with the court in a sealed manner; copies should NOT be provided to the opposing party. In other words, before making any submission, you should carefully consider whether its content involves your own confidential information—once filed, there is no taking it back.
2. Throughout the litigation, continuously monitor whether the non-movant has changed (i.e., whether individuals have been added or removed).

If you are the non-movant, pay special attention to the following:

1. Whether the opposing party’s motion is well-founded: you should make every effort to present counterarguments to narrow the scope of the subject matter, thereby reducing the cost of maintaining the litigation materials and the risk of non-compliance.
2. Scope of the CPO: once a CPO is issued, special handling and protective measures should be adopted for the specified litigation materials in the case file or database to prevent leakage.
3. Persons subject to the CPO: you may only discuss the content of the litigation materials with other persons subject to the same CPO; otherwise, it constitutes a violation.

Any thoughts or questions? Please feel free to email me at sandra.ysyin@gmail.com.

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[1] The 2023 amendment of the IPCA Act allows non trade secret holders to initiate the CPO procedure, increases the fine for violating an CPO, and changed the offense of violating an CPO from a complaint-based offense to a non-complaint-based (publicly prosecutable) offense. By contrast, the CCA Act has not been amended in tandem, resulting in discrepancies between the two statutes.

[2] IPCA Act, Art. 36, Para. 1; CCA Act, Art. 55, Para. 1.

[3] IPCA Act, Art. 36, Para. 3.

[4] IPCA Act, Art. 36, Para. 1; CCA Act, Art. 55, Para. 1.

[5] Given that both the IPCA Act, Art. 72, Para. 1, and the CCA Act, Art. 76, Para. 1, impose criminal penalty including imprisonment, and that the IPCA Act, Art. 73, and the CCA Act, Art. 77, Para. 1, impose fines on the legal entities and non-legal entities to which a CPO violator belong, it follows that the CPO may only be directed at natural persons. The same intent is reflected in the Enforcement Rules for the Adjudication of Intellectual Property Cases, Art. 45, Para. 1, Subpara. 2, and the Enforcement Rules for the Adjudication of Commercial Cases, Art. 31, Para. 1.

[6] IPCA Act, Art. 36, Para. 4; CCA Act, Art. 55, Para. 4.

[7] IPCA Act, Art. 72, Paras. 1 and 2.

[8] CCA Act, Art. 76, Para. 1.

[9] IPCA Act, Art. 73; CCA Act, Art. 77, Para. 1.

我是Sandra律師，專精台灣營業秘密訴訟案件。這系列文章的目的在於，分享我執業以來累積的實務經驗，帶你深入了解如何保障自身權益，守護商業機密。

什麼是秘保令？

只要案件進入訴訟程序，意味著案件相關資訊某程度上將會公開，例如書狀、證物必須提供給對造，對於法官的提問必須回應，開庭過程原則上開放大眾旁聽，最終的判決書也會上網公告。不過，在智慧財產案件及商業事件中，只要符合特定要件，無須對方同意，就可以向法院聲請秘密保持命令（簡稱秘保令），禁止因訴訟知悉營業秘密的人對外洩漏，避免因為訴訟進行而破壞營業秘密的價值及有效性。

如何聲請秘保令？

有關秘保令的聲請程序及效果，智慧財產案件規定在智慧財產案件審理法（簡稱智審法）第36至40條、第72、73條，並且依同法第66條第1項規定，於刑事案件準用之。商業事件，則規定在商業事件審理法（簡稱商審法）第55至59條、第76、77條[1]。以下我們一一來看：

一、聲請要件[2]：

1. 當事人的書狀內容或證據，涉及聲請人的營業秘密。
2. 聲請人必須是營業秘密的持有人，但不限於訴訟當事人，訴外人也可以聲請。在智財案件中，倘營業秘密持有人經法院曉諭仍不為聲請時，非持有人的當事人亦可提出聲請[3]，以避免訴訟延滯。
3. 聲請人必須釋明：(1)該資訊具備營業秘密要件，並且(2)該資訊一旦揭露，將會妨害聲請人的事業活動。

所謂「釋明」是指使法院相信「大概如此」即可，一般而言，只要機密資訊具備營業秘密的外觀，法院就會核發秘保令，不會過度細究。

二、聲請對象：

1. 包含「他造、當事人、代理人、輔佐人或其他訴訟關係人」[4]，也就是所有因訴訟而接觸到營業秘密的人，除他造當事人外，其律師、代理人、公司負責人、擔任輔佐人的公司法務、技術人員等，均宜一併聲請。
2. 僅限自然人，不含法人[5]。

三、秘保令的效果[6]：

1. 不得將營業秘密作為訴訟以外目的使用。
2. 不得向未受秘保令之人揭露。

四、違反秘保令的刑事責任：

1. 違反者本人：在智財案件中，處三年以下有期徒刑、拘役或科或併科新臺幣一百萬元以下罰金；若涉及國家關鍵技術者，加重處罰[7]。在商業事件中，處三年以下有期徒刑、拘役或科或併科十萬元以下罰金[8]。
2. 若違反者屬(1)法人的負責人、(2)非法人團體的管理人或代表人、(3)法人、非法人團體或自然人的代理人、受雇人或其他從業人員，並且是因執行業務而違反秘保令者，則該法人、非法人團體或自然人亦科以罰金[9]。

五、聲請狀應記載事項：

1. 聲請人。
2. 相對人：也就是應受秘保令之人。
3. 聲明：「相對人OOO就如附表X所示訴訟資料，不得為實施本件訴訟以外之目的而使用，或對未受秘密保持命令之人開示。」
4. 聲請標的：以附表方式呈現，附表應註明營業秘密名稱、證據位置或卷內頁碼。
5. 理由：即釋明如何具備營業秘密三要件，以及若經公開將對聲請人有何傷害等等。

此外，聲請狀的繕本應逕送相對人。

如果我是聲請或被聲請秘保令的一方，該怎麼做？

若是聲請的一方，應特別留意：

1. 在法院核發秘保令裁定之前，記載機密資訊的書狀、證物，正本應以彌封方式送達法院，繕本則「不應」提供給對造。也就是說，提出任何主張之前，都應三思其中內容是否涉及自己的機密資訊，一旦提出就覆水難收。
2. 訴訟過程中，隨時注意相對人的人別有無增減異動。

若是被聲請的一方，則應特別留意：

1. 對方的聲請，有無理由：應盡可能提出反面論述，以縮小客體範圍，才能降低訴訟資料的維護成本以及違法之風險。
2. 秘保令的客體範圍為何：收到秘保令裁定後，針對這些特定訴訟資料，應在卷內或資料庫採取特殊處理及防護措施，以免外流。
3. 秘保令的相對人為何：僅能與同為相對人討論訴訟資料的內容，否則即違反秘保令。

我是Sandra律師，若看完文章仍有疑問，歡迎email至sandra.ysyin@gmail.com與我聯繫。

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[1] 其中，智審法於2023年修法後，增修部分規定，例如：允許非營業秘密持有人開啟秘保令程序，提升違反秘保令之罰金金額，以及將違反秘保令之罪由告訴乃論修正為非告訴乃論等等。反觀，商審法並未同步修法，以致二法之間有所落差。

[2] 智審法第36條第1項、商審法第55條第1項。

[3] 智審法第36條第3項。

[4] 智審法第36條第1項、商審法第55條第1項。

[5] 依智審法第72條第1項、商審法第76條第1項課予刑事責任；智審法第73條、商審法第77條第1項對違反秘保令之人所屬之法人、非法人團體課予罰金刑責等規定觀之，秘保令之對象僅限於自然人。另觀智慧財產案件審理細則第45條第1項第2款規定、商業事件審理細則第31條第1項規定，意旨亦同。

[6] 智審法第36條第4項、商審法第55條第4項。

[7] 智審法第72條第1、2項。

[8] 商審法第76條第1項。

[9] 智審法第73條、商審法第77條第1項。

Welcome to Sandra’s Legal Insight.