Secrecy agreement

An invention that you make publicly accessible before you have filed a patent application (’prior art’) can no longer be protected by you via a patent. The application then no longer satisfies the novelty requirement. However, a secrecy agreement makes it possible to consult with third parties before a patent application is filed.

Similarly with regard to your know-how, unpublished patent applications and ideas to which no intellectual property protection applies, it may make sense to enter into a secrecy agreement with a third party before you share your knowledge with third parties. The secrecy agreement includes aspects such as the conditions under which the information is provided and underlines and acknowledges the confidential nature of the content of the discussion or consultation.

Our experts can assist you in drawing up secrecy agreements. A secrecy agreement is also referred to as a ‘non-disclosure agreement’.