Deterring Espionage by Foreign Entities through National Defense Act of 2019 or the DEFEND Act

This bill makes changes to provisions governing federal civil claims for trade secret misappropriation.

Specifically, it does the following:

• increases punitive damages for a victim,
• extends the statute of limitations for filing a claim, and
• allows claims for conduct that occurs outside the United States if the offense causes substantial economic harm in the United States.