Confidentiality clauses — also known as non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) — can be found in the back of most commercial and copyright agreements to protect a trademark, brand, copyright idea or negotiations in a commercial setting. Unfortunately they can also take on a sinister character when used to prevent employees or freelancers from spilling the beans in the case of settlement agreements and whistleblowing situations.
The Government has recognised this misuse of confidentiality agreements/NDAs, and has issued a consultation to better understand how confidentiality clauses and the legal framework around them work in practice. The consultation will also assess what changes are required to ensure individuals are appropriately protected from their misuse. You can find out more about the consultation here.
We would like to contribute the views and experiences of members to this consultation. Please send through any experiences or views with regards to the misuse of Confidentiality Agreements/NDAs, and we will add these to our submission. All member contributions will be treated in full confidence in accordance with our privacy policy, and we will not submit any names or details of a personal nature to the consultation.
If you have an experience or opinion you would be willing to contribute, please email [email protected] by Friday 12 April.