Drafts Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreements (CIIAs) for U.S. companies with jurisdiction-specific invention carve-outs, DTSA whistleblower notices, and restrictive covenants. Use when drafting employee confidentiality agreements, invention assignment agreements, proprietary information agreements, or IP assignment provisions for onboarding, corporate formation, or employment contexts.
Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement (CIIA)
description
Drafts Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreements (CIIAs) for U.S. companies with jurisdiction-specific invention carve-outs, DTSA whistleblower notices, and restrictive covenants. Use when drafting employee confidentiality agreements, invention assignment agreements, proprietary information agreements, or IP assignment provisions for onboarding, corporate formation, or employment contexts.
Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement (CIIA)
Drafts an enforceable CIIA protecting company IP and trade secrets while complying with state invention assignment statutes and federal trade secret law.
Prerequisites
Gather before drafting:
Company info — legal entity name, state of incorporation, address
Employee/contractor info — full name, address, role, start date
Identify governing jurisdiction — this drives every downstream decision
Research uploaded documents for existing NDAs/CIIAs, formation docs, offer letters
Draft sections in order below, applying jurisdiction-specific rules
Attach required exhibits (Prior Inventions; CA §2870 if applicable)
Mark uncertain citations with [VERIFY] for attorney review
Document Structure
1. Preamble and Parties
Full legal entity name, type, address
Employee full name, address
Effective date
If contractor: adjust terminology; note different enforceability standards may apply
2. Recitals
Frame business justification — employee access to confidential information, IP creation potential, legitimate business interests. Incorporate company-specific facts from uploaded documents.
3. Confidential Information
Definition — all non-public information providing competitive advantage:
Standard exclusions: publicly available (not via breach), rightfully pre-possessed, received from non-breaching third party, independently developed.
Obligations: strict confidence, use solely for duties, no unauthorized disclosure, reasonable care standard, no copying/removal except for duties.
Duration: trade secrets indefinite; non-trade-secret info 3–5 years post-termination.
Return/destruction: all materials returned on termination; written certification required. For BYOD/remote: add deletion provisions for personal devices and cloud accounts.
4. Permitted Disclosures
DTSA Whistleblower Immunity Notice (mandatory for agreements entered/updated after May 11, 2016):
An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that is made (i) in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney, and solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (ii) in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal.
Include: nothing prohibits reporting law violations to government agencies or cooperating with investigations.
5. Invention Assignment
Scope: all ideas, inventions, discoveries, improvements, works, designs, processes, software, algorithms, know-how — patentable or not, sole or joint, during employment.
Assignment language:
Present assignment ("hereby assigns") for immediate vesting
Backup "agrees to assign" for jurisdictions not recognizing present assignment of future rights
Covers inventions (a) related to company business/R&D, (b) using company resources/time/trade secrets, or (c) related to assigned work
Jurisdiction-specific invention carve-outs:
State
Statute
Limitation
California
Labor Code §2870–2872
Own-time/own-resources carve-out. Must attach §2870 as exhibit.
Delaware
19 Del. C. §805
Own-time/own-resources carve-out
Illinois
765 ILCS 1060/2
Own-time/own-resources carve-out
Kansas
K.S.A. 44-130
Own-time/own-resources carve-out
Minnesota
Minn. Stat. §181.78
Own-time/own-resources; must notify employee
North Carolina
N.C.G.S. §66-57.1
Own-time/own-resources carve-out
Utah
Utah Code §34-39-3
Employment inventions act limitations
Washington
RCW 49.44.140
Own-time/own-resources carve-out
[VERIFY] — confirm current statutory citations at time of drafting.
For multi-state employers: include all applicable carve-outs or create state-specific addenda.
Prior Invention Disclosure (Exhibit A): employee lists pre-existing inventions related to company business; checkbox for "none to disclose"; if blank, treated as representation none exist.
Disclosure obligation: employee promptly discloses all inventions in writing during employment regardless of believed assignability.
Cooperation: employee assists with IP filings at company expense; post-termination includes reasonable compensation plus expenses.
Power of Attorney: irrevocable, coupled with interest, for IP documents if employee unavailable. Limited to already-assigned IP.
Works of authorship: designate as work-for-hire under Copyright Act; backup full assignment; moral rights waiver where permitted.
6. Restrictive Covenants
Evaluate jurisdiction before including any restrictive covenant.
Type
Duration
Scope Guidance
Employee non-solicitation
12 months
Limit to employees worked with/supervised
Customer non-solicitation
12–24 months
Limit to customers with material contact during final 12–24 months
Non-competition
6–12 months
Narrow scope, duration, geography
No non-competes in CA, ND, OK (narrow exceptions for business sales/partnership dissolution only).
Enforceability requirements: reasonable scope/duration/geography, legitimate business interest, adequate consideration (some states require independent consideration post-hire), reformation clause (but draft reasonable — some jurisdictions void rather than reform).
Define terms precisely: "solicit" (direct/indirect), "competitive" (by reference to actual products/services), "customers" (recency + contact based).
7. General Provisions
Provision
Key Points
Governing law
Specified state, no conflict-of-laws; verify employment context enforceability
Forum/arbitration
Exclusive venue; if arbitration: rules (e.g., AAA Employment), location, binding
Entire agreement
Supersedes prior IP/confidentiality agreements; carve out offer letter, handbook, equity
Severability
Invalid provisions modified to minimum extent or severed
Amendment
Written, signed by both parties
Assignment
Company may assign to successors; employee may not
Notice
Written; personal delivery, email, overnight courier, or certified mail
Survival
Confidentiality, IP assignment, restrictive covenants survive termination
Counterparts
Electronic signatures valid
8. Acknowledgments
Employee acknowledges: read and understood agreement, opportunity to consult counsel, voluntary execution, restrictions reasonable, breach causes irreparable harm (injunctive relief), receipt of DTSA notice, and (if CA) receipt of §2870 copy.
9. Signature Blocks and Exhibits
Employee: signature, printed name, date
Company: signature, printed name, title (officer-level), date
Exhibit A: Prior Inventions Disclosure
Exhibit B (California): Full text of Labor Code §2870
Pitfalls and Checks
Jurisdiction first — always identify governing state before drafting; it controls carve-outs, covenants, and consideration
DTSA notice is mandatory for agreements entered/updated after May 11, 2016
CA §2870 exhibit is mandatory for California-governed agreements
Use both assignment forms — "hereby assigns" + "agrees to assign" for maximum enforceability
Calibrate to role — senior executives support broader covenants; junior employees require narrower scope
