Trade secrets are among the most valuable intangible assets held by small and midsize businesses, particularly those employing technical personnel, R&D staff, or key executives with access to proprietary information. In California, trade secret protection is governed primarily by the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act ("CUTSA"), Cal. Civ. Code §§ 3426–3426.11, and, at the federal level, the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 ("DTSA"), 18 U.S.C. §§ 1836 et seq. Both statutes define a trade secret as information that derives independent economic value from not being generally known and that is the subject of reasonable efforts to maintain its secrecy.