How do you protect the confidentiality and ownership of your invention ideas when using collaboration tools?

Use NDAs before sharing sensitive information. Opt for collaboration tools with strong access controls and encryption, like Microsoft Teams or Slack Enterprise Grid. Watermark documents and limit file-sharing permissions. Clearly define roles and ownership within the team, documenting agreements in writing. Educate the team on confidentiality and conduct periodic training. When collaborating externally, limit information sharing and vet collaborators. Back up data regularly, and consider legal counsel for contracts. Patent or seek intellectual property protection for added security.

1. Register your IP. Register patents, trademarks or copyrights where applicable. 2. Use confidentiality agreements to maintain confidentiality. 3. Share only what is necessary and nothing more. 4. Limit access to confidential information. 5. Choose trusted investors. 6. Keep detailed records of all interactions. 7. Seek legal advice for guidance. 8. Be careful with online communication. 9. Maintain a professional image. 10. Stay alert and safeguard your ideas throughout the process.

Keep in mind that lawyers are not qualified or licensed to be able to deal with new inventions and patenting. Only patent practitioners (patent attorneys and patent agents) licensed by the patent office (USPTO in the U.S.) are legally able to help you with your patent applications. Always use an NDA with anyone not a co-inventor or licensed patent practitioner. We have 3 free download and editable NDA samples on our website.

Sell the sizzle, not the sausage. Even with a NDA in place, it’s best not to divulge the critical aspects that make it work. Instead describe the desired result without the details of how to achieve the desired result. Keep those details secret if possible as enforcing NDAs requires deep pockets.(Thanks to SH)

Préalablement à un accord de confidentialité, il convient de formaliser le savoir-faire et les connaissances qui seront transmis au tiers (cahier de laboratoire, note technique horodatée, E-Soleau en France, etc.). Il conviendra ensuite de conserver une preuve des informations échangées (compte rendu réunion, tableau de suivi, emails, etc.). Les documents communiqués devront en particulier porter la mention de confidentialité, propriétaire et date.

Think VERY carefully about whether a ‘standard’ NDA is adequate. In collaborations you will generally also need to consider ownership of, and rights to use, new IP arising out of the collaboration. Regular NDAs typically don’t address this point well, if at all.

NDAs are essential when sharing sensitive and privileged information, however, it is not enough to use a general NDA template, but rather to customize these agreements to the profile of the disclosing company.

Key here is to have a simple and practical process for capturing and documenting the innovation, that everyone in the development team understands. Without this, it won’t happen.

Les documents devront être regroupés dans des dossiers présentant des restrictions d'accès aux seules collaborateurs autorisées. Ces documents devront porter différentes mentions: date, propriétaire, confidentialité. De préférence, ces documents devront être horodatés par un système tiers de sorte à prouver leur contenu et leur date.

Copyrights are easy to register and get. Truth is trademarks are easy to register and get if you are already legally using the names, logos, or etc. You can do these things yourself pretty easily. Patent applications are complex and can be very difficult to even submit properly, finding and hiring a patent practitioner (patent attorney or patent agent) is highly recommended.

Registration is not always the answer. In some scenarios, trade secrets can be an equally powerful approach to securing the value in your innovation.

Une clause de confidentialité devrait également être prévue dans les contrats de différents intervenants, notamment: - contrat de travail, pour les salariés, - contrat de sous-traitance, pour les tiers sous-traitants, ... La confidentialité doit également être rappelée aux différents intervenants tout au long du projet.