7 U.S.C. § 2157 : Agriculture — Transportation, Sale, And Handling Of Certain Animals — Release Of Trade Secrets

(a) Release of confidential information prohibited

It shall be unlawful for any member of an Institutional Animal Committee to release any confidential information of the research facility including any information that concerns or relates to—

(1) the trade secrets, processes, operations, style of work, or apparatus; or

(2) the identity, confidential statistical data, amount or source of any income, profits, losses, or expenditures,

of the research facility.

(b) Wrongful use of confidential information prohibited

It shall be unlawful for any member of such Committee—

(1) to use or attempt to use to his advantages; or

(2) to reveal to any other person,

any information which is entitled to protection as confidential information under subsection (a).

(c) Penalties

A violation of subsection (a) or (b) is punishable by—

(1) removal from such Committee; and

(2)

(A) a fine of not more than $1,000 and imprisonment of not more than one year; or

(B) if such violation is willful, a fine of not more than $10,000 and imprisonment of not more than three years.

(d) Recovery of damages by injured person; costs; attorney’s fee

Any person, including any research facility, injured in its business or property by reason of a violation of this section may recover all actual and consequential damages sustained by such person and the cost of the suit including a reasonable attorney’s fee.

(e) Other rights and remedies

Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect any other rights of a person injured in its business or property by reason of a violation of this section. Subsection (d) shall not be construed to limit the exercise of any such rights arising out of or relating to a violation of subsections (a) and (b).

(Pub. L. 89–544, § 27, as added Pub. L. 99–198, title XVII, § 1754, Dec. 23, 1985, 99 Stat. 1649.)

Effective Date

Section effective one year after Dec. 23, 1985, see section 1759 of Pub. L. 99–198, set out as an Effective Date of 1985 Amendment note under section 2131 of this title.