Arizona statute
A.R.S. § 13-1820 — Theft of trade secrets; classification; definition
Current through 57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session (2025)
Part of Chapter 18: Theft, Arizona Revised Statutes.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of A.R.S. § 13-1820
Statutory text current through the 57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session (2025). This publication reproduces the official statutory text published by the Arizona Legislature (Arizona Legislative Council compilation, azleg.gov); it is not the official statutes of the State of Arizona.
A. A person commits theft of trade secrets if, with the intent to deprive or withhold the exclusive control of a trade secret from its owner or with the intent to make any use of a trade secret, the person does any of the following:
1. Takes, transmits, exhibits, conveys, alters, destroys, conceals or uses a trade secret without the permission of the owner.
2. Makes or causes to be made a copy of a trade secret without the permission of the owner.
3. Receives, purchases or possesses a trade secret, knowing that the trade secret has been obtained by means described in paragraph 1 or 2 of this subsection.
B. It is not a defense to a prosecution for theft of trade secrets that the person charged returned or intended to return the trade secret that was stolen, copied or obtained from another.
C. A violation of this section is a class 5 felony.
D. For the purposes of this section, "trade secrets" means information, without regard to form, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, plan, drawing, design or process that both:
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.
2. Is the subject of efforts to maintain its secrecy that are reasonable under the circumstances.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is theft of trade secrets a felony or a misdemeanor in Arizona?
Theft of trade secrets is a Class 5 Felony in Arizona under A.R.S. § 13-1820.
Which Arizona statute covers theft of trade secrets?
Theft of trade secrets is governed by A.R.S. § 13-1820 (Theft of trade secrets; classification; definition).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.