This paper presents the concept of trade secrets as a form of intellectual property. It is a specific form of intellectual property which, in its ontological sense, represents intellectual property in a broader sense. Trade secrets are not protected like trademarks or patents, nor are they the subject of public or less public registers such as those maintained by the Croatian State Institute for Intellectual Property. One of the basic characteristics of this type of intellectual property is that business secrets are protected and never disclosed, for the reason that it is data that in business processes, but also in social relations, is an instrument that protects research and innovation with the aim of achieving competitiveness. A trade secret is an unpublished fact related to the operations of a legal entity known only to a certain number of persons and in connection with which, according to the express will of the competent body of the legal entity or according to the circumstances under which it was published, there is an obligation not to be disclosed to persons who are otherwise not known or accessible by the nature of the work. The paper contains conceptual definitions of secrets with a special emphasis on business secrets, the legal development of the same is reviewed, including the legal acquis of the EU that preceded the adoption of the Law on the Protection of Unpublished Information with Market Value. The paper additionally analyzes the protection of trade secrets in business processes through internal regulations of organizations and companies and through Confidentiality Agreements or NDA agreements. Judicial practice at the national and international level is also presented.