Create a bespoke document in minutes,聽or upload and review your own.
Get your first 2 documents free
Your data doesn't train Genie's AI
You keep IP ownership聽of your information
Confidentiality Agreement
I need a confidentiality agreement to protect sensitive business information shared with a third-party contractor, ensuring that all proprietary data, trade secrets, and client details remain confidential for a period of 3 years after the termination of the contract.
What is a Confidentiality Agreement?
A Confidentiality Agreement is a legally binding contract that protects sensitive business information from being shared with others. When you share trade secrets, customer data, or business plans with employees or business partners in Ireland, this agreement creates clear legal obligations to keep that information private.
Irish courts enforce these agreements under contract law and the EU Trade Secrets Directive. Breaking a confidentiality agreement can lead to significant financial penalties and court action. Most Irish businesses use these agreements when discussing potential partnerships, hiring key staff, or sharing valuable commercial information that needs protection from competitors.
When should you use a Confidentiality Agreement?
Use a Confidentiality Agreement before sharing sensitive business information with anyone outside your core team. This includes discussions with potential investors, negotiations with suppliers, hiring new employees, or exploring business partnerships in Ireland. The agreement needs to be in place before any confidential details are disclosed.
Key moments for implementing these agreements include pitching to venture capital firms, outsourcing development work, bringing on consultants, or discussing possible mergers. Irish businesses often need these agreements when working with EU partners or when sharing trade secrets, financial data, or customer information that could harm the company if leaked.
What are the different types of Confidentiality Agreement?
- Simple Confidentiality Agreement: Basic version for general business purposes, covering essential confidentiality terms without complex clauses.
- Confidentiality Agreement For Employees: Specifically designed for staff members, protecting company information during and after employment.
- Non Disclosure Non Circumvention Agreement: Combines confidentiality with protection against business relationship interference.
- Client Confidentiality Agreement: Tailored for client relationships, focusing on protecting customer data and service details.
- Compensation Non Disclosure Agreement: Specifically protects salary and benefits information within organisations.
Who should typically use a Confidentiality Agreement?
- Business Owners: Draft and require Confidentiality Agreements to protect trade secrets, client lists, and strategic plans when sharing sensitive information.
- Employees: Sign these agreements when joining Irish companies, binding them to protect workplace confidential information.
- Investors and VCs: Review detailed business plans and financial data under strict confidentiality terms during due diligence.
- Legal Advisors: Draft and customize agreements to ensure enforceability under Irish law and EU regulations.
- Consultants and Contractors: Agree to protect client information while providing professional services.
- Business Partners: Exchange sensitive information during negotiations or joint ventures under mutual confidentiality obligations.
How do you write a Confidentiality Agreement?
- Define the Parties: Gather full legal names, addresses, and roles of everyone who will be bound by the agreement.
- List Protected Information: Clearly identify what specific business information needs protection, from trade secrets to customer data.
- Set Time Limits: Determine how long the confidentiality obligations should last after sharing information or ending relationships.
- Specify Permitted Uses: Outline exactly how the receiving party can use the confidential information.
- Draft the Agreement: Use our platform to generate a legally sound Confidentiality Agreement that meets Irish legal requirements.
- Review Details: Check that all key terms, obligations, and enforcement mechanisms align with your business needs.
What should be included in a Confidentiality Agreement?
- Party Details: Full legal names and addresses of all parties involved, including company registration numbers.
- Definition of Confidential Information: Clear description of what information is protected under Irish and EU data protection laws.
- Scope of Obligations: Specific duties to maintain confidentiality and permitted uses of the information.
- Duration: Clear timeframe for how long the confidentiality obligations remain in effect.
- Return of Information: Requirements for handling or destroying confidential materials after agreement ends.
- Breach Consequences: Specific remedies and enforcement mechanisms under Irish law.
- Governing Law: Statement that Irish law governs the agreement and courts have jurisdiction.
- Signature Block: Space for dated signatures, with company position titles if applicable.
What's the difference between a Confidentiality Agreement and an Advisor Agreement?
A Confidentiality Agreement differs significantly from an Advisor Agreement in several key aspects, though both are commonly used in Irish business relationships. While they may overlap in some situations, understanding their distinct purposes helps choose the right tool for your needs.
- Primary Purpose: Confidentiality Agreements focus solely on protecting sensitive information, while Advisor Agreements establish the broader working relationship, duties, and compensation of an advisor.
- Scope of Protection: Confidentiality Agreements cover all confidential information specifically, whereas Advisor Agreements typically include a confidentiality clause among many other provisions.
- Duration: Confidentiality obligations often extend years beyond the business relationship, while Advisor Agreements usually terminate when the advisory role ends.
- Legal Framework: Under Irish law, Confidentiality Agreements are enforced through trade secret and contract law, while Advisor Agreements fall primarily under service contract regulations.
Download our whitepaper on the future of AI in Legal
骋别苍颈别鈥檚 Security Promise
Genie is the safest place to draft. Here鈥檚 how we prioritise your privacy and security.
Your documents are private:
We do not train on your data; 骋别苍颈别鈥檚 AI improves independently
All data stored on Genie is private to your organisation
Your documents are protected:
Your documents are protected by ultra-secure 256-bit encryption
Our bank-grade security infrastructure undergoes regular external audits
We are ISO27001 certified, so your data is secure
Organizational security
You retain IP ownership of your documents
You have full control over your data and who gets to see it
Innovation in privacy:
Genie partnered with the Computational Privacy Department at Imperial College London
Together, we ran a 拢1 million research project on privacy and anonymity in legal contracts
Want to know more?
Visit our for more details and real-time security updates.
Read our Privacy Policy.