Independent Contractor Confidentiality Agreement

Generally speaking, there are two types of confidentiality agreements: unilateral and mutual. A unilateral confidentiality agreement is used to only bind one party to keep confidential information. This type is usually used when only one party is disclosing information and the other party is receiving information, such as with a contractor, employee, or investor. A mutual confidentiality is used when all parties expect that they will share information. Situations where this is common are business mergers or collaborative sales efforts.

A confidentiality agreement should be executed as soon as possible. Since confidentiality agreements only govern information sharing between parties, no other obligations or contractual requirements are placed on any party. If a confidentiality agreement is executed early, you can avoid any unintentional disclosures and enter into talks knowing you are protected.

Yes. It is very common for confidentiality agreements to have multiple parties when a business deal involves multiple contractors or when a party is using an agent.

Normally, information is transferred between parties. This could be shared files, access to computer systems, or work-product that have been created. A return clause stipulates that the receiving party will either return or destroy any of the information that they have received, ensuring that your proprietary information is protected.