国家市场监督管理总局出台的《商业秘密保护规定》（“《规定》”）将于2026年6月1日起生效实施。该《规定》系统更新并细化了中国商业秘密法律框架下的各类认定标准与保护规则，其中多项条款落点于企业日常劳动管理。本次更新总结了《规定》中与劳动管理密切相关的内容。
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation has issued the Regulations on the Protection of Trade Secrets (Regulations), which will come into effect on 1 June 2026. The Regulations refine the legal framework governing trade secret protection in China and contain several provisions which have direct implications for employers’ day-to-day employment management practices. This update highlights key aspects of the Regulations that are most relevant to employment management.
员工义务
Employee Obligations
《规定》在多处条款中明确，将员工、前员工列为可能接触、获取商业秘密的重要主体。值得关注的是，员工保密义务的成立不再限定于书面保密协议或劳动合同约定，《规定》明确认可了多种义务来源，包括：
The Regulations expressly identify employees and former employees as key parties who may have access to or obtain trade secrets. Importantly, employees' confidentiality obligations are no longer confined solely to those arising under written confidentiality agreements or employment contracts. Rather, the Regulations recognise that confidentiality obligations may arise from, among other things:
在劳动合同、保密协议等合同中对保守商业秘密的明确约定；
没有合同约定，但基于合同性质、商业道德和诚信原则产生的保密义务；
没有合同约定，但公司通过规章制度或者合理的保密措施，对员工、前员工等明确提出保守商业秘密的要求。
express confidentiality undertakings set out in employment contracts, confidentiality agreements or other contractual arrangements;
the nature of the contractual relationship, business ethics and the principle of good faith, even in the absence of an express contractual provision; and
confidentiality requirements clearly established by the employer and communicated to employees or former employees through internal rules, policies or other reasonable confidentiality measures, even where no individual contractual arrangement exists.
这意味着，雇主未来在主张员工违反商业秘密保护义务时，不再完全依赖单一合同文本，而更侧重于是否已通过制度和管理措施，对员工明确设定并传达了保密要求。
As a result, employers asserting a breach of trade secret protection obligations will no longer need to rely solely on individual contracts or agreements. Rather, greater emphasis will be placed on whether the employer has clearly established and communicated confidentiality requirements through its internal management policies and practices.
此外，《规定》还明确，第三人明知或者应知商业秘密权利人的员工、前员工违反保密义务或侵犯商业秘密，仍获取、披露、使用或者允许他人使用该商业秘密的，视为侵犯商业秘密。这对企业在招聘竞争对手员工时，提出了更高的合规要求。
In addition, the Regulations provide that a third party will be deemed to have committed trade secret infringement if that third party knew or ought to have known that an employee or former employee has breached confidentiality obligations or infringed trade secrets, but nevertheless acquired, disclosed, used or permitted the use of such trade secrets. This provision raises compliance expectations for employers when recruiting personnel from competitors.
保密措施
Confidentiality Measures
商业秘密被定义为 (a) 不为公众所知悉、(b) 具有商业价值并且 (c) 经权利人采取相应保密措施的技术信息、经营信息等商业信息。何为“采取相应保密措施”，此前的法律法规仅有原则性规定。《新规》首次列明了属于“采取相应保密措施”的具体情形，其中多项直接落在劳动管理与内部制度层面，包括：
Under the PRC laws, trade secrets are defined as commercial information, including technical or business information, that (a) is not known to the public; (b) has commercial value; and (c) in respect of which the right holder has adopted corresponding confidentiality measures. While earlier legislation only provided high-level guidance on what constitutes "corresponding confidentiality measures", the Regulations set out, for the first time, the specific measures that qualify. Many of these measures are closely linked to employment management and internal policies, including:
（一） 签订保密协议或者在合同中约定保密义务；
（二） 通过建立规章制度、开展培训、书面告知等方式，对能够接触、获取商业秘密的员工、前员工、供应商、客户、来访者等提出保密要求；
（三） 禁止或者限制进入涉密的生产经营场所或者对其进行区分管理;
（四） 针对远程办公、跨境协作等场景，采取权限分级、数据脱敏、操作日志留痕等技术保密措施；
（五） 以标记、分类、隔离、加密、封存、限制能够接触或者获取商业秘密及其载体的人员范围等方式，对商业秘密及其载体进行区分管理；
（六） 对能够接触、获取商业秘密的计算机设备、网络设备、存储设备等，采取禁止或者限制使用、访问、存储、复制等措施；
（七） 要求离职员工登记、返还、清除、销毁其接触、获取的商业秘密及其载体，继续承担保密义务；
（八） 采取其他合理保密措施。
i. entering into confidentiality agreements or incorporating confidentiality obligations into contracts;
ii. imposing confidentiality requirements on employees, former employees, suppliers, customers and visitors through internal rules, training programmes or written notices;
iii. restricting or prohibiting access to sensitive production or business premises, or managing such areas on a differentiated basis;
iv. implementing technical safeguards such as tiered access rights, data desensitisation and operation log tracking, particularly in remote working or cross-border collaboration scenarios;
v. managing trade secrets and their carriers through labelling, classifying, isolation, encryption, sealing, or by restricting the range of personnel who can access or obtain them;
vi. restricting the use, access, storage or copying of computer equipment, network systems and storage devices that can access or obtain trade secrets;
vii. requiring departing employees to register, return, delete or destroy trade secrets and related carriers in their possession, and to continue to observe confidentiality obligations; and
viii. other reasonable confidentiality measures.
基于此，在涉及商业秘密的争议处理中，员工手册、保密制度、培训记录、IT权限管理及离职流程文件，均可能成为判断公司是否已采取“相应保密措施”的关键证据。
Accordingly, in trade secret disputes, documents such as employee handbooks, confidentiality policies, training records, IT access controls and exit procedures may serve as key evidence in determining whether an employer has adopted corresponding confidentiality measures.
豁免情形
Exemptions
在加强商业秘密保护的同时，《规定》亦对保护边界作出了限制。《规定》第15条明确指出，商业秘密权利人的前员工利用 (i) 在工作中积累的通用知识、技能、行业经验，或者 (ii) 通过公开渠道可获取的行业信息开展工作，不属于侵犯商业秘密的行为。
In addition to enhancing trade secret protection, the Regulations also clarify the limits of such protection. Article 15 of the Regulations expressly provides that a former employee’s use of (i) general knowledge, skills and industry experience acquired in the course of their employment; or (ii) industry information obtainable through public channels, does not amount to trade secret infringement.
这与竞业限制的相关规定相呼应，旨在防止企业过度扩大商业秘密或竞业限制的适用范围，并保障劳动市场的正常人员流动。
This is consistent with the latest non-compete practices and guidelines and is intended to prevent employers from unduly expanding the scope of trade secret protection or non-compete restrictions, while safeguarding the free movement of employees in the labour market.
关键要点
Key Takeaways
《规定》标志着中国的商业秘密保护从事后救济向事前管理与合规过渡。雇主的商业秘密能否获得法律保护，将更大程度依赖于其是否建立并有效运行一套覆盖入职、在职及离职阶段的劳动管理与保密合规体系。
The Regulations represent a transition in China's trade secret protection framework, moving from an approach focused largely on remedies post-breach towards one centred on proactive management and compliance. The extent to which an employer's trade secrets are safeguarded will increasingly depend on the establishment and effective implementation of a comprehensive confidentiality and employment management system covering onboarding, ongoing employment, and exit procedures.
我们建议各雇主对现有劳动合同、保密协议、员工手册、保密制度、IT管理措施及离职流程进行审阅和必要更新，以降低合规风险并提升商业秘密保护的可执行性。
Employers should review and, where necessary, update their employment contracts, confidentiality agreements, employee handbooks, confidentiality policies, IT management measures and exit procedures to mitigate compliance risks and enhance the enforceability of trade secret protection.
此外，我们同步整理了亚洲主要司法辖区有关社会保障政策的资讯，请点击文末的 “阅读原文”查阅更多内容。
史密夫斐尔的亚洲劳动法团队以新加坡为中心，横跨整个亚太地区，由来自新加坡、中国内地、中国香港、泰国、印度尼西亚、日本等地的劳动法律专家组成。团队还与澳大利亚珀斯、悉尼、墨尔本和布里斯班等地的劳动法团队紧密合作。我们致力于为客户提供跨地区、全方位、“一站式”的劳动法律服务，包括日常雇佣管理咨询、劳动合同与规章制度的制定与审阅、劳动尽职调查、并购交易中的人员安排、工作场所调查、员工解除与裁员、员工数据管理、股权激励计划、劳动争议等。
如需就相关法律进行咨询，欢迎联系以下律师或您在史密夫斐尔/科伟的惯常联系人。
|
|
Fatim Jumabhoy Head of Employment & Workplace Investigations, Asia Singapore Fatim.Jumabhoy @hsfkramer.com |
Gillian Miao Counsel Shanghai Gillian.Miao @hsfkkewei.com |
