Der Schutz des Betriebs- und Geschäftsgeheimnisses

The work exactly investigates the precise nature of the constitutional protection of industrial and commercial secrets. On this basis, it analyses the constitutionality of the rules concerning the protection of secrets in the modern German laws of access to information.
For this purpose, the importance of industrial and commercial secrets in society and in the whole state law is investigated. Subsequently – after a thorough analysis of the opinions expressed in this regard in jurisdiction and literature – the author examines the scope and localization of the constitutional protection of industrial and commercial secrets. This is followed by a review of the eventful history of the development of freedom of information and the current laws in this field.
Then, the constitutionality, respectively the possibility of a constitutional interpretation of the laws of the protection of secrets in the Environmental Information Act, the Freedom of Information Act and the Consumer Information Act is examined.