如何起草保密协议？ | 每日IP英文第436期

wzawxt 2021-09-22

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每日IP英文第436期：

保密协议（non-disclosure agreement）对企业非常重要，按照中国最新的司法解释，签订保密协议或者在合同中约定保密义务的，应当认定权利人采取了相应保密措施，是商业秘密保护的重要前提。

本文分享了一些起草保密协议的注意事项，推荐阅读。

文末附有Google翻译，未人工校对，仅供参考。

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翻译（未人工校对，仅供参考）：

保密协议：对企业家的明智之言

September 9 2021 | Lowndes - Steve Thomas

作为一家初创公司，贵公司发展过程中最激动人心的时刻之一是收到希望参与技术交流以支持潜在业务安排的大型战略或市场参与者的建议。通常，要约是为了签订保密协议 (NDA)，有时也称为保密协议或专有信息协议。

很多时候，企业家对谈判 NDA 的条款犹豫不决，担心如果在这个过程中浪费太多时间，任何一方都会走开。许多人还想知道与可能的合作伙伴谈判是否是个好主意——毕竟，这是我们想要开始这段关系的方式吗？此外，保密协议不只是不能真正强制执行的样板文件吗？我们不是在浪费时间和金钱来谈判这个 NDA 吗？

首先，一个对您感兴趣的潜在投资者正在与您谈论您的企业的可能性很小，因为您需要谈判 NDA 的一些条款。事实上，他们可能希望你这样做。此外，大多数（如果不是全部）公平的“伙伴关系”至少需要一些条款谈判，因此在早期阶段为友好谈判奠定基础可能是好的。

至于 NDA 本身，不应使用样板文件，因为各方的个人情况差异很大。而且，是的，正确起草的保密协议可以强制执行。最重要的是，NDA 可以帮助保护您的机密信息和商业机密免于落入竞争对手的手中，而不受其使用的限制。

这并不意味着需要花费大量时间或金钱来使潜在的 NDA 成形以供签署。它只是意味着应该仔细审查每个 NDA，以确保它相应地保护机密信息和商业秘密，并且很有可能被强制执行。

通常需要审查和讨论的 NDA 条款是：

哪些信息是“机密”的，哪些不是“机密”的定义。
协议期限和保密要求期限（这些不是一回事）。
解决争议的法律和地点的选择。
商业秘密的处理（商业秘密和机密信息是两种不同类型的信息，尽管它们可能重叠）。
不要求任何一方共享任何机密信息的规范。
对共享机密信息的允许使用限制的规定。

样板 NDA 通常至少在这些点中的一个，通常不止一个上失败。

作为企业主，您应该有一个整体的知识产权战略，其中包含您可以使用的各种工具，视情况而定。除了保密协议和其他协议之外，您还可以选择简单地不共享您的知识资产、选择将其视为商业秘密、寻求专利保护或采取其他步骤。每种方法都有自己的法律要求、风险和好处，如果时间过长或发生了某些事件，有些方法将不再可用。早期规划是关键。

鉴于所有这些，这里有一些有关 NDA 或类似协议的实用技巧。