Oklahoma § 21-1732

§ 21-1732.

Larceny of trade secrets – Applicability of section.

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 21. Crimes and Punishments

A. Any person who, with intent to deprive or withhold from the

owner thereof the control of a trade secret, or with an intent to

appropriate a trade secret to his or her own use or to the use of

another:

1. Steals or embezzles an article representing a trade secret;

or

2. Without authority makes or causes to be made a copy of an

article representing a trade secret,

shall be guilty of larceny under Section 1704 of this title and

shall be subject to punishment as provided for in Section 1705 of

this title. For purposes of determining whether such larceny is

grand larceny or petit larceny under this section, the value of the

trade secret and not the value of the article shall be controlling.

B. 1. The word "article" means any object, material, device,

customer list, business records, or substance or copy thereof,

including any writing, record, recording, drawing, sample, specimen,

prototype, model, photograph, microorganism, blueprint, information

stored in any computer-related format, or map.

2. The word "representing" means describing, depleting,

containing, constituting, reflecting or recording.

3. The term "trade secret" means information, including a

formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique,

customer list, business records or process, that:

a.

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

b.

is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under

the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.

4. The word "copy" means any facsimile, replica, photograph or

other reproduction of an article, including copying, transferring

and e-mailing of computer data, and any note, drawing or sketch made

of or from an article.

C. In a prosecution for a violation of this act, it shall be no

defense that the person so charged returned or intended to return

the article so stolen, embezzled or copied.

D. The provisions of this section shall not apply if the person

acted in accordance with a written agreement with the person’s

employer that specified the manner in which disputes involving

clients are to be resolved upon termination of the employer-employee

relationship.

Added by Laws 1968, c. 110, §§ 1 to 3, emerg. eff. April 1, 1968.

Amended by Laws 1986, c. 85, § 12, eff. Nov. 1, 1986; Laws 2009, c.

287, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2009; Laws 2025, c. 486, § 257, eff. Jan. 1,

2026.

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 21. Crimes and Punishments