Excerpt from: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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| What entrepreneurs should keep confidential | Should I divulge my technology to others without a Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA) especially to investors or potential strategic partners? To understand what a company can do and how valuable that is, you must share some information. If the entrepreneur can focus on communicating the business benefit and not the technical "how to", most partners or investors will be able to understand what the fit for the product or service is without needing to sign a CDA initally. Most professional investors will *not* sign a CDA to hear about your business or to receive a copy of the Executive Summary. Ensure that you do not convey the names of customers or strategic partners in the Executive Summary if that is prohibited by your own confidentiality agreements signed with partners. While patents can be powerful in controlling who has the rights to use a technology, in many cases a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets are used to protect various intellectual property assets. Ensure you work with an attorney to determine what should be protected and with which mechanism. | | |
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