Proposed Changes to Illinois Trade Secrets Act Pass Through Senate Judiciary Committee -- Full Senate Vote Expected Within Weeks
As discussed in our March 9th posting, Illinois Senate bill SB 2149 seeks to alter the landscape of trade secret enforcement and litigation in Illinois by, among other things, a) requiring disclosure of trade secrets before a party issues written or oral discovery; b) requiring attorneys' fees be awarded to the prevailing party in a trade secrets case; and c) ordering a court to enter an attorneys' fees award against any party that subsequently amends their initial trade secret disclosure. SB 2149 passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 12, 2009, and will now proceed to a full senate vote. The vote likely will occur within the next few weeks. If approved by the Senate (which is quite likely since SB 2149 spent less than one week before the Senate Judiciary Committee), SB 2149 will be sent to the Illinois House of Representatives Judiciary Committee for review and approval. If the House Judiciary Committee subsequently approves SB 2149, SB 2149 will then be considered and voted upon by the entire House of Representatives. We will continue to monitor the bill and its progression through the Illinois General Assembly.
