Tip 10 – “Need to Know”
Blog By Edward Ayres
As a kid I would often pester my big brother and his friends. I would over hear them talking and instantly want to know what the conversation was all about. His normal answer was, “It’s need to know, and you don’t need to know.” That’s typical of a big brother! In the military, government and business “Need to Know” is a security measure to ensure the smallest amount of people necessary have access to proprietary information. Before your invention is patented treat it strictly as “Need to Know.”
You’re invention may have strong financial possibilities so ensure to keep it confidential until patent pending protection is achieved. However, there will come a time when you need to share your invention in order to turn it into a product on the shelf of the marketplace. For instance, you may have to speak with a patent attorney, marketing firms, investors or a trusted confidant. Before your product is patent pending only share your invention with those who have a need to know.
When disclosing your invention information, be it to your father, a marketing firm or other, ensure they first sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). This is a legally-binding document that states the party receiving the information will treat it confidentially and won’t use or disclose the information in anyway. I recommend keeping your NDA simple and easy to understand. To be effective they don’t have to be long and overly complicated.
When it comes to using Non-Disclosure Agreements with friends, family and businesses, don’t be intimidated to ask them to sign it before you disclose your invention. When they see you require it they’ll know you’re serious and your product is real. This will even help you establish credibility.
In a nut shell, keep your idea a secret from anyone that doesn’t have a legitimate need to know, and if they do, have them sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Usable NDAs can be found on the Internet and the home page of our website has a link to the one we use with our clients.
We hope you enjoyed Tip #10. Please consider sharing this information as it may benefit an inventor you know. If you have questions please don’t hesitate to contact us. Helping inventors is all we do!
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