07012013There have been a number of thought-provoking articles in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, a decision that found that a naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated. At least one commentator has opined that the decision has sent shockwaves through the very foundation of the biotech industry.  Not surpisingly, a decision of this magnitude tends to trigger ripples in all areas of intellectual property, and trade secret law is no exception.

In a provocative Op-Ed for The New York Times entitled “Our Genes, Their Secrets,” researcher Eleonor Pauwells takes Myriad to task because it has compiled a substantial and highly proprietary database of its genetic research but has declined to share the contents of that database with other research bodies and healthcare organizations. She advocates that the federal government should use its powers to compel Myriad and other BioTech companies to share their trade secrets for the public good.

Specifically, Eleonor advocates that the United States Food and Drug Administration “should immediately investigate the impact of trade-secret protection on innovation in personalized medical treatments. The FDA could also mandate public disclosure as a condition of market approval for genetic testing. Insurers too have some leverage: they could refuse reimbursements unless clinical data is shared for interpretation.” In other words, if Myriad wants to commercially benefit from its trade secrets, it should be compelled to share them with the government.

By some accounts, Myriad has invested more than $500 million in this proprietary database.  It does not appear that the database was created through federal funding or through some other federal largesse that might entitle the government to some claim to the database or the data contained within that database.  In other words, the database is the result of Myriad’s own money and effort.  So the question is whether the government can, or should, compel Myriad to share the fruits of its investment with others?

Growing Tensions Between Trade Secrets and The Public Interest: This is not the first time that someone has suggested that the public interest should trump the investment that a company has made in its trade secrets. Some have opined that the trade secrets of voting company manufacturers should be set aside so that the public can verify that their machines have properly tallied votes. Likewise, the highly-charged debate over fracking has pitted public interest groups against energy firms as they jockey over the disclosure of the chemicals and processes used by those companies in the fracking process. The dispute over Myriad’s database is not a new one and has been percolating for years as researchers and others have complained about its refusal to allow others to access its database.  As trade secret protection continues to grow as a means of protecting intellectual property, these disputes will continue to emerge.

Apples and Oranges?  The Supreme Court’s reluctance to provide a patent grant in the Myriad decision should not be construed as momentum to diminish trade secret status in situations involving the public interest. While patents and trade secrets are kindred spirits (the old adage that every patent starts its live as a trade secret comes to mind), the policies behind these two types of intellectual property are very different. The patent system is intended to spur innovation by providing a quid pro quo to the inventor — in exchange for revealing his or her invention, the patentholder receives a grant of exclusivity which allows others to study, design around or build upon that invention. This bargain necessarily involves disclosure of the novel invention, which is the cornerstone of this innovative process.

In contrast, while innovation may be a consequence and benefit of a trade secret, by its very nature, a trade secret is not intended to be shared nor is novely a key requirement.  Rather, the key purpose of trade secret law is to protect the investment of a particular company by preventing a employee, partner or other party from unfairly exploiting and stealing that investment. Unlike patent law, trade secret law is rooted on an ethical component.

Leaving aside this compact that recognizes the property interest inherent in trade secrets, the notion that a company should be compelled to divest itself of its research and share that research for the public good would almost certainly inhibit the very innovation that Eleonor seeks to promote. Why invest substantial resources in a process, invention or database if you are ultimately going to have to turn it over to the government so that it share that database with your competitors? 

The events of the past few months should temper any enthusiasm for having the federal government serve as a sentinel of proprietary and sensitive information.  Having the government serve as a broker in which it grants access to certain markets in exchange for access to that data is an even worse idea.  For these reasons, no matter how laudable the goal, the government should respect the property interest of a trade secret holder and resist the temptation to interfere.