How common are Confidentially Agreements in general business

[anley]

Non-trading related question

How common are Confidentially agreements in business these days?

Say you've got an idea for a new ice-cream or printing idea that can't be copywrited or patented and you go see a business about it. Is it common practice for the other side to sign some sort of agreement? Do they take offence or is it a regular thing in business these days?

Thanks

 

[adrianallen99]

I use to work for a large software company a few years back and I discovered a major security hole in the product, I was asked to sign something saying I would never disclose the nature of this. A collegue of mine wrote a piece of software which he sold to the same company, he had to sign something to say he would not use or pass on any of the code from this software. The company didn't want to use the software, they just wanted to stop any other company from using it.

 

[ivorm]

Non-trading related question

How common are Confidentially agreements in business these days?

Say you've got an idea for a new ice-cream or printing idea that can't be copywrited or patented and you go see a business about it. Is it common practice for the other side to sign some sort of agreement? Do they take offence or is it a regular thing in business these days?

Thanks

Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure agreements are very common and considered to be normal business practise. No compnay should balk at signing one - if they do, then it probably means that they are not a company you would want to be dealing with.

So what's your big idea ?

HTH

Regards,

 

[jonnyy40]

You want a registered patent attorney if it's an invention.These people who advertise in yellow pages as dealing in intellectual property aren't regulated and will run off with the ideaif it's good.You also must not demonstrate the invention or describe it in the public domain or any patent you seek will be void.

 

[anley]

Guys, thanks a lot for your comments. Very helpful indeed.

As for the big idea, don't worry about it I'll come asking you for some finance in a few months so you can get in on the ground floor along with stocking yourselves full of some lovely warrants.............

 

[Trader333]

How common are Confidentially agreements in business these days?

Very common in my experience.


Paul

 

[Tuffty]

From a different angle non-compete agreements in contracts of employment were quite popular, although they were on their last (legal) legs back in 1998 (when I last had a proper job!).