Whenever you believe you are going to enter a situation that will involve you disclosing proprietary information such as trade secrets, business strategy or yet-to-be-implemented ideas, you will want to have the receiving party sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Do this BEFORE any disclosure occurs.
To create a Non-Disclosure Agreement, include the following information: The parties' names and contact information. The length of the non-disclosure period. The scope and definition of the confidential information. The obligations of the Non-Disclosure Agreement. The ownership and return information.
Explain the Context: Start by explaining why you need the NDA. Be clear about the sensitive information involved and why it's important to keep it confidential. Be Honest and Transparent: Share your reasons for needing an NDA. Emphasize that it's not about distrust but about protecting both parties' interests.
You do not need a lawyer to create and sign a non-disclosure agreement. However, if the information you are trying to protect is important enough to warrant an NDA, you may want to have the document reviewed by someone with legal expertise.
Say this: "In the interest of maintaining good governance with future investors, we're asking that anyone closely involved with this project at this early stage sign an NDA."
Typically, a legal professional writing the NDA will complete these steps: Step 1 - Describe the scope. Which information is considered confidential? ... Step 2 - Detail party obligations. Step 3 - Note potential exclusions. Step 4 - Set the term. Step 5 - Spell out consequences.
If both parties under the NDA were signing as sole proprietors, you have to ensure that both your full names are stated clearly. If you wanted to ensure that there would be no doubt about who the parties were, then you could add identification information such as addresses or social security numbers.
Indeed, the potential client may well get you to sign an NDA yourself, to protect any business secrets they indulge during your pitch. So by presenting them with an NDA of your own, and making a strong case for them to sign it, you're actually conveying your seriousness and raising your authority overall.
At the top, there are three types, unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral NDAs. The rest of the specific NDA types fall under these three categories. Most are based on who has to sign the NDA. Not all NDAs are created equally, and they can only demand so much secrecy from strangers when compared to their employees.
To create a Non-Disclosure Agreement, include the following information: The parties' names and contact information. The length of the non-disclosure period. The scope and definition of the confidential information. The obligations of the Non-Disclosure Agreement. The ownership and return information.