In Bohnsack v. Varco, inventor Bohnsack discussed selling an invention to Varco for it produce but no agreement was reached. Bohnsack later claimed Varco stole the idea and filed for a patent on the idea. He sued. The courts held that:
A) Varco's patent was invalid due to possible theft of information
B) Bohnsack's invention was public information so was not a secret and could not be patented
C) Varco owed Bohnsack damages for misappropriation of a trade secret
D) Bohnsack would collect treble damages under Wisconsin's Uniform Trade Secrets Act
E) none of the other choices

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The courts held that Varco had misappropriated Bohnsack's trade secret and owed him damages as a result. Option A is incorrect as there is no mention of Varco's patent being invalid in the scenario. Option B is incorrect as there is no indication that Bohnsack's invention was public information. Option D is incorrect as there is no mention of Wisconsin's Uniform Trade Secrets Act in the scenario. Therefore, the best choice is C.

In Bohnsack V