It's no secret that inventors need to protect their secrets. If you present an invention to a prospective buyer or licensee, it can be stolen. The best way to protect yourself is with a nondisclosure agreement.
But it's not enough to hand a company a one-size-fits-all nondisclosure agreement and expect a signature. The company may request modifications to the inventor's agreement, supply its own agreement or actually require an inventor to give up claims of confidentiality.
This plain-English eFormKit helps inventors create, modify and understand nondisclosure agreements. In addition to providing sample agreements, it explains:
Disclosing your invention requires a balancing act: Presenting the best aspects of your invention while protecting the confidential aspects of your work. With this eFormKit an inventor can effectively maintain the necessary balance and minimize the risks of disclosure. Download it now.
Operating system: Windows- and Macintosh-compatible. The computer you use to purchase an eFormKit must be the same computer you will download it to. (For example, don't purchase the eFormKit using your computer at work if you intend to download it later on to your home computer; instead, wait until you're on the computer you intend to download the eFormKit to and then make your purchase. After you've downloaded the file, you will be able to "transfer" it to another computer by copying it to external media or by email.) In addition, you will not be able to download this file if:
Software: Before you can use an eFormKit, additional software must be installed:
To expand the ZIP archive you download after making your purchase, you'll need:
To open and print an eFormKit, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or greater, or another program that "reads" PDF (portable document format) files. (Download Adobe Reader for free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.)
To open, fill out and print word-processing forms included in an eFormKit, you need a word processor that "reads" RTF (rich text format) files: