When to Use a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) for Your Startup

When to Use a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) for Your Startup

I once heard a mentor at an accelerator say, “NDAs are worthless and if you see a founder trying to get someone to sign an NDA, it’s a clear signal that they’re a startup amateur. Ideas are worthless. I should be able to tell everyone in the world my idea, and if someone beats me … Read More

Social Media and Confidentiality Clauses

Recently read an article about a teenager whose Facebook status update cost her father the $80,000 settlement he won in an age-discrimination lawsuit. The facts are simple. Father signed an agreement for an $80,000 settlement in an age-discrimination case. The daughter bragged about the award on Facebook. The employer sued to get the settlement award … Read More

Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine: When Your Employer Can Keep You from Working for a Competitor

Most people have heard of non-compete agreements. But there’s another scenario where an employer can keep you from working for a competitor, even in the absence of a prior agreement: the Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine. Three tests must be met for a court to invoke the doctrine. 1) You must possess trade secrets that you do … Read More