Motorola’s Trade Secrets Win Shows U.S. Law’s Potential Reach

Motorola Solutions Inc.’s $764 million trade secrets and copyright win against a Chinese rival could make it easier for companies in similar fights to recover damages based on overseas product sales.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois found that a 2016 federal law, the Defend Trade Secrets Act, may apply to acts of trade secret misappropriation that occur outside the U.S. A jury subsequently issued the huge award.

The court is among the first U.S. tribunals to analyze the DTSA’s geographic scope. If the Jan. 31 ruling survives Hytera’s appeal, the court’s analysis may provide a ...