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Article L151-5 of the French Commercial code

The use or disclosure of a business secret is unlawful when it is carried out without the consent of its legitimate holder by a person who has obtained the secret under the conditions mentioned in article L. 151-4 or who acts in breach of an obligation not to disclose the secret or to restrict its use.

The production, offering or placing on the market, as well as the import, export or storage for these purposes of any product resulting significantly from an infringement of a business secret shall also be considered as unlawful use where the person carrying out these activities knew, or should have known in the circumstances, that the secret was being used unlawfully within the meaning of the first paragraph of this Article.

Original in French 🇫🇷
Article L151-5

L’utilisation ou la divulgation d’un secret des affaires est illicite lorsqu’elle est réalisée sans le consentement de son détenteur légitime par une personne qui a obtenu le secret dans les conditions mentionnées à l’article L. 151-4 ou qui agit en violation d’une obligation de ne pas divulguer le secret ou de limiter son utilisation.


La production, l’offre ou la mise sur le marché, de même que l’importation, l’exportation ou le stockage à ces fins de tout produit résultant de manière significative d’une atteinte au secret des affaires sont également considérés comme une utilisation illicite lorsque la personne qui exerce ces activités savait, ou aurait dû savoir au regard des circonstances, que ce secret était utilisé de façon illicite au sens du premier alinéa du présent article.

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