The law seeks to satisfy your reasonable expectations. What is TC varies by field of study. 8 Trademarks are creatures of federal, State, and common law.
Trade secrets are creatures of state and common law.
In late 1996, Congress passed a criminal statute dealing with international industrial espionage. Must be not obvious, to a person of ordinary skill in the art, in light of current technology. More than novel. A patent is a legal monopoly. Prior to GATT, the USA used a 17 year term from the date of grant.