HB 6619 Summary

• Establishes liability for manufacturers who use stolen or misappropriated information technology in business operations to produce articles or products sold in Connecticut, after receiving written notice and a 90-day cure period (extendable to 190 days total).

• Allows the Attorney General or injured competitors to seek injunctions against violators and recover actual damages or statutory damages up to three times the retail price of the stolen/misappropriated technology.

• Permits awards against third-party retailers/distributors only if they received notice of the violation at least 90 days before judgment and meet specific conditions regarding manufacturer involvement and contractual relationships.

• Provides affirmative defenses for third parties, including end consumers, businesses under $50 million in annual revenue, and those who made commercially reasonable compliance efforts or lack direct contractual relationships with violators.

• Excludes copyrightable end products, patent/trade secret claims, open-source software license violations, and aiding-and-abetting cases from liability under this statute; takes effect October 1, 2011.