The doctrinal posture produces several practical realities:
- Contract claims are safe. RCW 19.108.900(2)(a) exempts contractual liability not based on misappropriation, and Boeing confirms that WUTSA does not displace breach of contract. Well-drafted confidentiality and invention-assignment agreements therefore remain the most durable non-statutory theory.
- Segregation of damages is essential. Thola reversed an entire verdict because the award could not be segregated between displaced and surviving theories. Verdict forms and damages presentations should be structured so that a displacement ruling on appeal does not vitiate the whole recovery.
- Claims tied to information falling short of trade secret status. The strong view creates a genuine gap: information that is confidential but not a trade secret may be left without a tort remedy if the supporting facts are coextensive with a failed WUTSA claim.