GeneralAverage

Coverage line

What Intellectual Property Insurance Requirements Apply in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania’s Trade Secrets Act permits injunctions against actual or threatened misappropriation. Ask whether the policy responds to a request to stop disclosure before a complaint seeks money damages.

What Is Intellectual Property Insurance?

Intellectual property insurance comes in two separate parts: defense, when you're accused of infringing a patent, trademark or copyright, and enforcement, when you pursue someone who copied yours. A defense-only quote doesn't pay for your own lawsuit, so ask for each part you need. Read the national Intellectual property guide.

What to Watch for With Intellectual Property in Pennsylvania

  • Match the State Rule to Your Coverage

    Pennsylvania’s Trade Secrets Act permits injunctions against actual or threatened misappropriation. Ask whether the policy responds to a request to stop disclosure before a complaint seeks money damages. 2

  • Plan for the State Remedy

    Pennsylvania permits damages for actual loss and unjust enrichment, and a reasonable royalty when those measures are inadequate. Ask how the insurer handles licensing proposals and whether legal fees erode the limit. 2

  • Check the Policy Against the Claim

    Pennsylvania law preserves contractual remedies even where the statute displaces overlapping tort remedies. Give the broker your key confidentiality and IP-assignment forms and ask whether contract claims from the same dispute are covered. 2

Which Providers Have Documented Pennsylvania Licenses?

No provider in our research documents both a state license record and this coverage line. This does not establish that providers are unlicensed. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm availability with a provider when requesting a quote.

Who Regulates Insurance in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania Insurance Department

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department publishes state tools to check licensed producers, agencies, and insurers, and its Consumer Services Online portal accepts complaints about insurers, agents, brokers, and public adjusters. The department also oversees Pennsylvania insurance business and consumer services. 3,4,5

Surplus-Lines Tax and Stamping Office in Pennsylvania

Reported tax rate. 3% of gross premium (2% for eligible surplus-lines risk retention groups) 6,7,8,9

Pennsylvania charges 3% of gross surplus-lines premiums (2% for an eligible surplus-lines risk-retention group); the tax is in addition to premium, is borne by the insured, and is collected by the producer. For multistate risks, the 2025 Revenue instructions say all gross premiums are taxable when Pennsylvania is the home state, while Insurance Company Law §1621(d) says tax is levied only on premium reasonably ascribable to Pennsylvania risk; confirm allocation with your producer or the state. Surplus-lines coverage is excluded from the guaranty association, and qualifying large risks or exempt commercial purchasers may use distinct no-search routes, with the ECP route requiring disclosure and written request.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy Intellectual Property in Pennsylvania

  1. Will this policy cover a threatened trade-secret claim under Pennsylvania law before a lawsuit is filed?
  2. Do defense costs reduce the limit available for a royalty settlement or damages?
  3. What records should we preserve to establish when a suspected Pennsylvania misappropriation was discovered?

Intellectual Property Insurance in Pennsylvania: FAQ

What is the key Pennsylvania rule for a trade-secret claim?

Pennsylvania’s Trade Secrets Act permits injunctions against actual or threatened misappropriation. Ask whether the policy responds to a request to stop disclosure before a complaint seeks money damages. 2

How should I handle a suspected intellectual-property claim in Pennsylvania?

Notify the insurer promptly and preserve the first demand, access logs, agreements, and discovery date. Pennsylvania law preserves contractual remedies even where the statute displaces overlapping tort remedies. Give the broker your key confidentiality and IP-assignment forms and ask whether contract claims from the same dispute are covered. The federal Defend Trade Secrets Act is a separate claim with its own filing period. 2,1

Sources for Intellectual Property Insurance in Pennsylvania

  1. 18 U.S.C. § 1836, Civil Proceedings. Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives; § 1836(b)(1), (3): federal civil action, injunction, and damages for qualifying trade secret misappropriation. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. Pennsylvania Uniform Trade Secrets Act. Pennsylvania Legislature; §§ 5302, 5303, 5304, and 5307. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. pennsylvania insurance regulator. State insurance regulator; PID official agency page and the search/consumer-help service map. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. Pennsylvania Insurance Industry Search Tool Library. State insurance regulator; PID identifies consumer Sircon and detailed individual, business-entity, and company search tools. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. File a Complaint with Your Insurance Company, Agent, Broker, or Public Adjuster. State insurance regulator; PID directs insurance complaints and questions to its Consumer Services Online portal. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. RCT-123 Gross Premiums Tax - Surplus Lines Agents (2025). Pennsylvania Department of Revenue; Instructions p. 4, imposition/base/rate: 3% on gross premiums; insured bears tax, producer collects/remits; RRG exception 2% per statute. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. Insurance Company Law, §1621. Pennsylvania General Assembly; Subsection (d): multi-state tax is levied only on premium reasonably ascribable to Pennsylvania risk. This differs from the 2025 RCT-123 instructions, which state all gross premiums taxable if PA is home state; see source tax. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. Insurance Department Act, surplus-lines notice provision. Pennsylvania General Assembly; Policy legend: insurer is not licensed and surplus-lines insurance is NOT covered by Pennsylvania Insurance Guaranty Association. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. Pennsylvania Insurance Company Law §§1604 and 1610 (40 P.S. §§991.1604, 991.1610). Pennsylvania General Assembly; Act 28 of 2011 §1610(a), (a.1): large-risk criteria and ECP disclosure followed by written request exempt from diligent-search requirements. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  11. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  12. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  13. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  14. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  15. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  16. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, email The General Average with a supporting source.

Intellectual Property Insurance Guides for Other States

Other coverage in PennsylvaniaEvery coverage guide for Pennsylvania, plus the regulator and surplus-lines details.

Want someone to handle this for you?

Spot, which publishes this research, gets quotes from 50+ providers, picks the options that fit your coverage and budget, and manages renewals after you buy. The first consultation is free. Book a free consultation