论商业秘密保护的非法性限制

On Illegality Exception to Trade Secret Protection

我国商业秘密构成要件中不包含合法性要件,但在司法实践中,违法的商业信息往往不被保护,合法性已俨然成为商业秘密的隐含构成要件。法理上,非法性并不全然阻却商业秘密的保护正当性,通盘否定非法商业信息的法律价值有过分压缩私权空间之嫌;否定非法商业信息之上的禁止权还可能导致本权损失扩大,鼓励不诚信行为等弊病。赋予非法商业信息以消极权利,将非法性作为商业秘密的权利限制事由,并明确其内涵和适用范围,可以更好地平衡公共利益和商业信息控制人的私人利益。

Within the realm of Chinese jurisprudence,the essential elements of trade secrets do not explicitly include a requirement of legality.However,in practical judicial application,unlawful commercial information is often denied protection,thereby establishing legality as an implicit constituent element of trade secrets.From a legal standpoint,the illegality of such information does not necessarily preclude the legitimacy of trade secret protection.A wholesale dismissal of the legal worth of illegal commercial information risks unduly restricting the space for private rights and may exacerbate losses while encouraging unscrupulous behavior.To strike a more balanced harmony between public interests and the private interests of those who control commercial information,granting negative rights to illegal commercial information,treating illegality as an exception to trade secrets protection,and explicitly defining its content and applicability can be deemed a prudent approach.