Some general words on trade secrets. Trade secret law is eminently sensible. It grows out of common law and the merits and facts of real situations regarding information. Trade secret law does not attempt to reverse the disclosure of information, which would be contrary to the properties of information. It does not require that people forget something they have learned. Nor does trade secret law force tribute upon those who use that knowledge, as patent law does. It does not restrict the transmission of information, as copyright law does. If, however, you tell someone you're going to keep a secret, and they compensate you for that promise (i.e. consideration in a contract), then the law expects you to uphold your promise or make good the harm that you've caused. Lacking an agreement, the holder of the agreement has no recourse. In a cryptographic world, the model of trade secret law is worth considering. It concerns only information and agreements between individuals. Eric