If a competitor reverse engineers a trade secret, then the competitor is ________.
A) allowed to use the trade secret but not the trademarked name
B) rightfully allowed co-ownership to the trade secret and its original trademark
C) not allowed to gain commercially from the trade secret
D) obliged to inform the original owner of the trade secret

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Reverse engineering is a legal process in many jurisdictions, allowing a person or company to disassemble and examine a product to understand its workings, provided they legally obtained the product. If a competitor reverse engineers a trade secret, they can use the knowledge gained but cannot use any trademarked names associated with the original product. Trademarks are protected separately and using them without permission would infringe on trademark rights.

If a Competitor Reverse Engineers a Trade Secret, Then the Competitor