A trade secret may be misappropriated in a number of ways. The first, and most predominant, involves the acquiring of trade secrets by improper means, such as an employee accessing information he or she has no authority to access. The second category of misappropriation deals with the acquisition of the trade secret by mistake or accident, the person had reason to know that it was a trade secret, and the person used or disclosed the trade secret without consent. The third category involves misappropriation stemming from the proper and even invited acquisition of trade secrets. This category includes claims that arise often in the employment context. In the context of their employment, employees often receive varying degrees of confidential and proprietary information from their employers.