EU member states have until 9 June 2018 to implement the Trade Secrets Directive, which aims to standardise the national laws in EU countries against the unlawful acquisition, disclosure and use of trade secrets. The Directive harmonises the definition of trade secrets in accordance with existing internationally binding standards, and defines the relevant forms of misappropriation. However, the directive does not provide for exclusive monopoly rights in trade secrets: obtaining trade secrets by way of independent discovery or reverse engineering remains lawful. The civil means through which victims of trade secret misappropriation can seek protection will be standardised and include measures to stop the unlawful use and further disclos