(a) Except to the extent that a material and prejudicial change of position prior to acquiring knowledge or reason to know of misappropriation renders a monetary recovery inequitable, a complainant is entitled to recover damages for misappropriation. Damages can include both the actual loss caused by misappropriation and the unjust enrichment caused by misappropriation that is not taken into account in computing actual loss. In lieu of damages measured by any other methods, the damages caused by misappropriation may be measured by imposition of liability for a reasonable royalty for a misappropriator’s unauthorized disclosure or use of a trade secret.
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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 482B-4

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Misappropriation: means :

    (1) Acquisition of a trade secret of another by a person who knows or has reason to know that the trade secret was acquired by improper means; or

    (2) Disclosure or use of a trade secret of another without express or implied consent by a person who:

    (A) Used improper means to acquire knowledge of the trade secret; or

    (B) At the time of disclosure or use, knew or had reason to know that the person's knowledge of the trade secret was:

    (i) Derived from or through a person who had utilized improper means to acquire it;

    (ii) Acquired under circumstances giving rise to a duty to maintain its secrecy or limit its use; or

    (iii) Derived from or through a person who owed a duty to the person seeking relief to maintain its secrecy or limit its use; or

    (C) Before a material change of the person's position, knew or has reason to know that it was a trade secret and that knowledge of it had been acquired by accident or mistake. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482B-2

  • Trade secret: means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program device, method, technique, or process that:

    (1) Derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and

    (2) Is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 482B-2

(b) If wilful and malicious misappropriation exists, the court may award exemplary damages in an amount not exceeding twice any award made under subsection (a).

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