The Economic Espionage Act is a very powerful law which helps with the enforcement of properly handling information. This law is the first federal law that defines and severely punishes misappropriation and theft of trade secrets. However, according to this Act, the government will only protect companies who take "reasonable measures" to safeguard their information.
EEA Violations
A defendant convicted for theft of trade secrets under Section 1832 (which makes the commercial theft of trade secrets a criminal act regardless of who benefits) can be imprisoned for up to ten years and fined $500,000. Corporations and other establishments can be fined up to $5 million. (http://rf-web.tamu.edu)
For more information regarding the EEA, please Click here.