In plain terms. The Economic Espionage Act of 1996 criminalizes the theft of trade secrets, with enhanced penalties when the theft benefits a foreign government or instrumentality. It is a principal federal tool against state-sponsored and commercial cyber theft of proprietary information.
Citation. Pub. L. 104-294 (Oct. 11, 1996); 18 U.S.C. §§ 1831-1839.