Any one piece of information can only be exempt under one of the three grounds. This Information Sheet deals with the first two grounds trade secrets, and other information of commercial value. The third ground the business, professional, commercial or financial affairs exemption is discussed in a separate Information Sheet. This means that, if the information in issue meets either test for exemption, it is exempt. It does not matter that an applicant can point to public interest considerations that favour disclosure of the information in issue.
Trade secrets is a legal term.
This could not be shown if, for instance, the information was public knowledge, or common knowledge among competitors in the relevant industry. Information Sheets are introductory only. They deal with issues in a general way. Additional factors may be relevant in particular cases. Detailed consideration of the issues can be found in the cases referred to above.