Virginia Code 3.2-3908: Protection of trade secrets and other information.
A. In submitting data required by this chapter, the applicant may: (i) clearly mark any portions that he believes are trade secrets or commercial or financial information; and (ii) submit such marked materials separately from other material.
Attorney's Note
Under the Virginia Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class 6 felony | up to 5 years | up to $2,500 |
Terms Used In Virginia Code 3.2-3908
- Board: means the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services. See Virginia Code 3.2-100
- certified: means the recognition granted by the Board to an applicator who has completed all the requirements of Article 3. See Virginia Code 3.2-3900
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. See Virginia Code 3.2-100
- in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Virginia Code 1-257
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- Pesticide: means : (i) any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any insects, rodents, fungi, bacteria, weeds, other forms of plant or animal life, bacterium, or viruses, except viruses on or in living man or other animals, which the Commissioner shall declare to be a pest; (ii) any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant; and (iii) any substance intended to become an active ingredient in any substance defined in clause (i) and (ii). See Virginia Code 3.2-3900
- Registrant: means the person registering any pesticide pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. See Virginia Code 3.2-3900
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
- United States: includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-255
B. The Commissioner shall not make public information that, in his judgment, contains or relates to trade secrets or commercial or financial information. The Commissioner may reveal information:
1. Relating to formulas of products to any consulting federal, state, or local agency at a public hearing or in findings of fact issued by the Commissioner or Board;
2. To any person in connection with a public proceeding under law or regulation if the Commissioner finds the information relevant to a determination that a pesticide, or any ingredient of a pesticide, causes unreasonable adverse effects on health or the environment;
3. To contractors with the Commonwealth and employees of such contractors if the Commissioner finds disclosure necessary and requires, as a condition to the disclosure of information, that the person receiving it take any security precautions as provided for by regulation;
4. Concerning production, distribution, sale, or inventories in connection with a public proceeding to determine whether a pesticide or any ingredient of a pesticide causes unreasonable adverse effects on health or the environment if the Commissioner determines that disclosure is necessary and in the public interest; and
5. Concerning the objectives, methodology, results, or significance of any test or experiment performed on or with a registered or previously registered pesticide or its separate ingredients, impurities, or degradation products; any information concerning the effects of such pesticide on any organism or the behavior of such pesticide in the environment including data on safety to fish and wildlife, humans and other mammals, plants, animals, and soil; and studies on persistence, translocation and fate in the environment, and metabolism. Information concerning: (i) manufacturing or quality control processes; (ii) the details of methods for testing, detecting, or measuring the quantity of any deliberately added inert ingredient; or (iii) the identity or percentage quantity of any deliberately added inert ingredient, shall not be revealed unless the Commissioner determines that disclosure is necessary to protect against an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment.
C. 1. The Commissioner shall notify the applicant or registrant in writing by certified mail if he proposes to release information that the applicant or registrant marked as confidential. The Commissioner shall not release such information for inspection until 30 days after receipt of the notice by the applicant or registrant. During this period, the applicant or registrant may institute an action in circuit court for a declaratory judgment as to whether such information is subject to protection.
2. The Commissioner shall notify the submitter by certified mail if he proposes to release information under subdivision B 4 or B 5. The Commissioner shall not release such information without the submitter’s consent until 30 days after receipt of the notice by the submitter. The Commissioner may select alternative notice procedures and a shorter period of notice if he finds that disclosure is necessary to avoid or mitigate an imminent and substantial risk or injury to the public health. During such period the submitter may institute an action in circuit court to enjoin or limit the proposed disclosure. The court shall give expedited consideration to any such action. The court may enjoin disclosure, limit the disclosure, or limit the parties to whom disclosure shall be made to the extent that: (i) the proposed disclosure of information under subdivision B 4 is not required to protect against an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment; or (ii) the public interest in the disclosure of information in the public proceeding under subdivision B 5 does not outweigh the interests in preserving the confidentiality of the information.
D. The Commissioner shall not knowingly disclose information submitted by an applicant or registrant under this chapter to any employee or agent of any entity engaged in the production, sale, or distribution of pesticides in countries other than the United States or to any person who intends to deliver such data to any such entity unless the applicant or registrant has consented to disclosure. The Commissioner shall require an affirmation from any person who intends to inspect data that such person does not seek access to the data for purposes of delivering it or offering it for sale to any such business or entity or its agents or employees and will not purposefully deliver or negligently cause the data to be delivered to such business or entity or its agents or employees.
E. The Commissioner shall maintain records of the names of persons to whom data are disclosed under this section and the persons or organizations they represent and shall inform the applicant or registrant of the names and affiliation of such persons.
F. Any person, who, with intent to defraud, uses or reveals information relative to formulas of products acquired pursuant to this chapter is guilty of a Class 6 felony.
Code 1950, § 3-208.36; 1966, c. 702, § 3.1-238; 1975, c. 102; 1989, c. 575, § 3.1-249.68; 2008, c. 860.