PRODUCT REGULATORY TASK GROUP

Position Statement on Protection of Trade Secret Information

The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) recognizes the needs of regulatory agencies, customs officials, customers, medical and health and safety personnel, and others ("legitimate requestors"), to occasionally obtain proprietary information, trade secrets, compositional information, and intellectual property ("trade secret information"), when it is the only option to satisfy their legal obligations.

SPI also recognizes the substantial investments its members have made in developing their products and bringing them to market and the need to protect their trade secret information. Product functionality is the primary attribute that plastics manufacturers and compounders have to offer their customers. Plastics manufacturers and compounders make large investments in the development of product formulations to achieve this functionality to gain a competitive advantage. Disclosure of unprotected trade secret information may present competitors with the opportunity to compete in the marketplace without making comparable investments.

SPI also recognizes that there are costs associated with providing trade secret information to legitimate requestors, and supports efforts that yield efficient and secure systems for data collection, maintenance, and dissemination. SPI supports efforts which protect trade secret information globally, including appropriate conditions of use for electronic data systems and confidentiality agreements. Finally, SPI encourages its members to provide legitimate requestors with information they need to satisfy their legal obligations.

April 9, 2003

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