如何起草保密協議？ | 每日IP英文第436期

wzawxt 2021-09-22

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每日IP英文第436期：

保密協議（non-disclosure agreement）對企業(yè)非常重要，按照中國最新的司法解釋，簽訂保密協議或者在合同中約定保密義務的，應當認定權利人采取了相應保密措施，是商業(yè)秘密保護的重要前提。

本文分享了一些起草保密協議的注意事項，推薦閱讀。

文末附有Google翻譯，未人工校對，僅供參考。

Non-disclosure agreements: A word to the wise to entrepreneurs

September 9 2021 | Lowndes - Steve Thomas

As a startup, one of the most exciting moments in your company’s growth is receiving a proposal from a large strategic or market player who wants to engage in a technical interchange in support of a potential business arrangement. Typically, an offer is made to enter into a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), sometimes also referred to as a confidentiality agreement or proprietary information agreement.

Often times, entrepreneurs are hesitant to negotiate the NDA’s terms fearing that either party will walk away if too much time is lost in the process. Many also wonder if it’s a good idea to negotiate with a possible partner – after all, is that the way we want to begin this relationship? Besides, aren’t NDAs just boilerplate documents that aren’t really enforceable? Aren’t we just wasting time and money negotiating this NDA?

First and foremost, a potential investor who is interested is talking with you about your venture is highly unlikely to walk away simply because you need to negotiate some of the NDA’s terms. In fact, they probably expect you to do so. Additionally, most, if not all, equitable “partnerships” require at least some negotiation of terms, so it may be good to set the stage for amicable negotiations at an early stage.

As for the NDA itself, a boilerplate document should not be used since individual circumstances vary widely from party to party. And, yes, properly drafted NDAs can be enforceable. Most importantly, the NDA can help protect your confidential information and trade secrets from falling into the hands of a competitor, without restriction on its use.

This doesn’t mean that significant time or money needs to be spent on getting a prospective NDA in shape for signature. It simply means every NDA should be reviewed carefully to make sure that it protects confidential information and trade secrets accordingly and that it has a good chance of being enforceable.

NDA terms that typically need review and discussion are:

The definition of which information is, and which is not, “confidential.”
The term of the agreement and the term of the confidentiality requirement (these are not the same thing).
The choice of law and venue for settling disputes.
The treatment of trade secrets (trade secrets and confidential information are two different types of information, although they may overlap).
The specification that there is no requirement on either party to share any confidential information.
The setting forth of restrictions on allowable uses of the shared confidential information.

Boilerplate NDAs usually fail on at least one, and usually more than one, of these points.

As a business owner, you should have an overall intellectual property strategy that incorporates the quiver of tools at your disposal to use, as appropriate. In addition to NDAs and other agreements, you can opt to simply not share your intellectual assets, choose to treat them as trade secrets, seek patent protection, or take other steps. Each approach has its own legal requirements, risks and benefits, with some no longer available if too much time has passed or if certain events have occurred. Early planning is key.

Given all this, here are some practical tips concerning NDAs or similar agreements.

Carefully consider your intellectual property strategy as early as possible. Continue to reassess it and keep it fresh and relevant.
Do not let the fear of losing business drive the execution and sharing of confidential information under a bad NDA. Take time to negotiate an NDA that protects your intellectual assets.
Never share more than what is absolutely necessary. The best way to protect confidential information is by keeping it secret. This is especially true for trade secrets.
Consult qualified counsel early to ensure that you understand all the steps that need to be taken to achieve an appropriate level of protection for your company’s confidential information, as well as when those steps should be taken.

When it comes to sharing confidential information, which may include vital trade secrets, there is simply no substitute for a well-drafted NDA. A boilerplate agreement will not suffice. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By taking small steps now to protect your confidential information from being shared, you can avoid the extremely difficult –and sometimes impossible – task of finding a remedy to get it back down the road.

Google翻譯（未人工校對，僅供參考）：

保密協議：對企業(yè)家的明智之言

September 9 2021 | Lowndes - Steve Thomas

作為一家初創(chuàng)公司，貴公司發(fā)展過程中最激動人心的時刻之一是收到希望參與技術交流以支持潛在業(yè)務安排的大型戰(zhàn)略或市場參與者的建議。通常，要約是為了簽訂保密協議 (NDA)，有時也稱為保密協議或專有信息協議。

很多時候，企業(yè)家對談判 NDA 的條款猶豫不決，擔心如果在這個過程中浪費太多時間，任何一方都會走開。許多人還想知道與可能的合作伙伴談判是否是個好主意——畢竟，這是我們想要開始這段關系的方式嗎？此外，保密協議不只是不能真正強制執(zhí)行的樣板文件嗎？我們不是在浪費時間和金錢來談判這個 NDA 嗎？

首先，一個對您感興趣的潛在投資者正在與您談論您的企業(yè)的可能性很小，因為您需要談判 NDA 的一些條款。事實上，他們可能希望你這樣做。此外，大多數（如果不是全部）公平的“伙伴關系”至少需要一些條款談判，因此在早期階段為友好談判奠定基礎可能是好的。

至于 NDA 本身，不應使用樣板文件，因為各方的個人情況差異很大。而且，是的，正確起草的保密協議可以強制執(zhí)行。最重要的是，NDA 可以幫助保護您的機密信息和商業(yè)機密免于落入競爭對手的手中，而不受其使用的限制。

這并不意味著需要花費大量時間或金錢來使?jié)撛诘?NDA 成形以供簽署。它只是意味著應該仔細審查每個 NDA，以確保它相應地保護機密信息和商業(yè)秘密，并且很有可能被強制執(zhí)行。

通常需要審查和討論的 NDA 條款是：

哪些信息是“機密”的，哪些不是“機密”的定義。
協議期限和保密要求期限（這些不是一回事）。
解決爭議的法律和地點的選擇。
商業(yè)秘密的處理（商業(yè)秘密和機密信息是兩種不同類型的信息，盡管它們可能重疊）。
不要求任何一方共享任何機密信息的規(guī)范。
對共享機密信息的允許使用限制的規(guī)定。

樣板 NDA 通常至少在這些點中的一個，通常不止一個上失敗。

作為企業(yè)主，您應該有一個整體的知識產權戰(zhàn)略，其中包含您可以使用的各種工具，視情況而定。除了保密協議和其他協議之外，您還可以選擇簡單地不共享您的知識資產、選擇將其視為商業(yè)秘密、尋求專利保護或采取其他步驟。每種方法都有自己的法律要求、風險和好處，如果時間過長或發(fā)生了某些事件，有些方法將不再可用。早期規(guī)劃是關鍵。

鑒于所有這些，這里有一些有關 NDA 或類似協議的實用技巧。