Why are Confidential Disclosure Agreements necessary?
A Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA) or Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is necessary before any proprietary information is disclosed from one party to another. Without this agreement, the party to whom the information is disclosed is free to use and transmit the information to others. This also protects the technology from public disclosure that could hurt the chances of getting a patent. We recommend contacting the OTT before disclosing any confidential information to any other party.
A Confidential Disclosure Agreement, sometimes called a Non-Disclosure Agreement, is a legal document for the protection of proprietary information. Such a document is necessary before any transfer of proprietary information is made from one party (such as a university researcher) to another (such as a corporate representative). Otherwise, the transfer of proprietary information, even in a casual conversation, could legally be considered a public disclosure. In the worst case, such a disclosure could allow the individual or company to whom this information was disclosed to use or transmit to others your confidential information, thus placing the invention in the public domain. This would preclude the possibility of obtaining intellectual property protection and would even violate federal regulations. It is important to contact the UNLV Office of Technology Transfer before disclosing any confidential proprietary information to another party.
