In this case, the trade secrets are the CSS algorithms and the cracked authentication keys. The goal of the California suit is to understand and control the technologies that increasingly govern our lives. The second legal claim is MPAA's assertion that section 1201 of the DMCA has been violated. The protected work, in this case, is the DVD content. The goal of the MPAA suit is to prevent the distribution of DeCSS software, because this program makes it possible for users to access the contents of their DVDs in ways not intended or anticipated by the manufacturers.
Secrets Let's deal with the trade secret issues first.
First, aside from Johansen, whose actual role in the reverse-engineering process is in dispute, we don't know who the members of DoD and MoRE are. Secondly, they're not U.S. citizens, and are presumably subject to whatever reverse- engineering laws exist in their own countries. Finally, and more profoundly, the cat is out of the bag. The CSS algorithm has been published, disseminated, analyzed, commented on, and even printed on T-shirts. It's futile for DVD CCA to try to stem the spread.