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Why I'm not going to sign an NDA

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Re: Why I'm not going to sign an NDA

#41

Post by the_watcher »

dasil003 wrote: post #6

The reason I ask you to sign an NDA is not because I am scared you're going to steal my idea. We can talk in depth about the business over coffee, dinner, long weekend ad nauseam. But if you want to see the code and hear about the non-public deals then you sign an NDA. I'm pretty sure this post is not meant to apply to real companies, but there is a lot more going on out in the real world than this straw man of cold-…

> But if you want to see the code and hear about the non-public deals then you sign an NDA. I think most people would be fine with an NDA that just covered the code and a small slice of the deals. As long as it just covers specifics. Most people probably would just tell you to not show stuff you want to keep that secret though.

Re: Why I'm not going to sign an NDA

#42

Post by dasil003 »

ctdonath wrote: post #15
dasil003 wrote: post #6

The reason I ask you to sign an NDA is not because I am scared you're going to steal my idea. We can talk in depth about the business over coffee, dinner, long weekend ad nauseam. But if you want to see the code and hear about the non-public deals then you sign an NDA. I'm pretty sure this post is not meant to apply to real companies, but there is a lot more going on out in the real world than this straw man of cold-…

But if you want to see the code and hear about the non-public deals then you sign an NDA. Aye, but that's not the point of the article. It's not that I (or the author) want to see code & details, it's that you want me to see them. The author makes clear he's got a thousand other items on his to-do list, and has a thousand people coming to him with allegedly brilliant ideas; he has no particular interest in the idea,…

That's what I figured, but the title is overly broad. It's not actually about NDAs, it's about clueless cargo-cult entrepreneurs who probably have yet to start executing on their first idea. Saying "I won't sign an NDA" in bold face type out of context appears to be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Most NDAs (especially the ones with any likelihood of being enforced) don't come from the type of person this article talks about.

Re: Why I'm not going to sign an NDA

#43

Post by billb2112 »

karamazov wrote: post #30
billb2112 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think your interpretation of "sign a document so I can sue you later" is pretty inaccurate. Someone is disclosing an idea and wants to protect themselves in case you decide their idea is worth implementing. I don't think it's an unrealistic request. Furthermore, most NDAs I've seen don't really protect much of anything. The downside of saying 'no' is that you will never (or rarely) have them as a potential client.…

Did you read the article? The author is talking about NDA's from people who want to discuss startup ideas with him, not NDA's from clients or potential clients.

Wow, so someone would sign an NDA for the purpose of having a free consult and nothing further? How is this some sort of bold statement that is making it to the front page of hacker news? "I won't incur risk for nothing in return". So brave.

Many relationships start with potential clients shopping around. They get a free consult. If that's not what this guy is referring to, then my mistake. I wouldn't sign the NDA either, but I could just as easily named this article "I won't stab myself in the eye".

Re: Why I'm not going to sign an NDA

#44

Post by yogo »

acjohnson55 wrote: post #3

Generally speaking, my rule of thumb is that an NDA shouldn't be necessary if you're simply discussing the business. If an idea is so copyable that simply repeating aloud it is dangerous, then you're going to get copied by bigger players as soon as the viability of the idea has been demonstrated. So the company's pretty much hosed anyway. When it comes to basic business and marketing advice, it really limits the valu…

> On the other hand, if actual core IP (like code and business documents) is going to be seen in detail

This is what I always look for in an NDA or I don't sign one. People generally take some generic NDA contract they found online that is so vague you're probably in violation the minute you sign it. I'm guessing this is why others say it's hard to enforce, so why sign one?

Bottom line: unless an entity has specific IP and other trade secrets they want to protect and it is spelled out in the agreement then I'm not signing it, and if it's required I'm not interested. It's probably a good filter IMO.

Re: Why I'm not going to sign an NDA

#48

Post by maxk42 »

If your business model is so fragile that merely discussing it threatens is a threat then you haven't got a business model at all.

Great businesspeople talk about their business. They tell everyone: Friends, strangers, potential customers. All kinds of people can provide useful feedback and the more you discuss your business the better an idea you're likely to have of how to build a good product.

Besides -- the only people who ever ask me to sign an NDA are the people who haven't got anything worth guarding to begin with.

Re: Why I'm not going to sign an NDA

#49

Post by jMyles »

I normally don't sign NDAs, but I'm currently at a company that I'm really enjoying and they're putting one in front of me. The case they're making is that if they don't get all their devs to sign NDAs that they'll have trouble attracting investors. Thoughts?
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