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The Inventors Guide
Non-disclosure Agreements
Before discussing your idea, you may consider having people sign a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement. A non-disclosure agreement means that the person you discuss your idea with agrees to keep the information confidential.
Pro's
Although not as strong as a patent, non-disclosure agreements do provide a contractually binding agreement that can be used to enforce infringement.
Con's
Some parties routinely refuse to sign non-disclosure agreements. Venture capital companies, some R&D companies, some manufacturers and many government departments / agencies – including Western Economic Diversification Canada. All government employees sign a statement pledging to treat information related to their work as confidential. Under Section 20 of the Access to Information Act, any information provided by third parties (clients) is confidential and can not be disclosed.