On May 11, 2016, the Defense of Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”) became effective, establishing the first civil federal trade secrets law.  Importantly, the DTSA does not preempt state law, meaning a plaintiff alleging trade secret misappropriation can assess which law is more favorable before bringing suit and could also, depending on the case, opt to assert claims under both laws.  While the substantive elements of trade secret claims under the DTSA are similar to those under California law, the DTSA differs in several key respects.  For example, in contrast to California law, the DTSA does not, on its face, require a plaintiff to disclose its purported trade secrets with particularity before commencing discovery.  Because the particularity requirement can be a powerful tool for defendants, depending on the nature of its case, a plaintiff should consider whether to file suit under the DTSA to potentially avoid this procedural hurdle to obtaining discovery.  Moreover, the DTSA contains a civil seizure remedy, which, under certain circumstances, allows a plaintiff to obtain an ex parte order providing for the seizure of property necessary to prevent the dissemination of the trade secrets.  Depending on how courts apply the seizure provision, this remedy could be a reason in and of itself to bring suit under the DTSA.