NDA's at work
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- fusionpixel
How many of you had to sign a NDA at your work? and how do you go around it to get new work after you have signed one(portfolio, etc)?
- Mimio0
Do you mean a "no compete" agreement/clause?
Doesn't a NDA just protect your company's and their client's intellectual property?
- seed0
I interviewed at a large company a few months back that would allow you to show the work you did in a portfolio. They said they fired the last person because they found a portfolio with work samples in it.
- fusionpixel0
I interviewed at a large company a few months back that would allow you to show the work you did in a portfolio. They said they fired the last person because they found a portfolio with work samples in it.
seed
(Nov 21 05, 13:02)
--Why would they fire some one for doing something they were allowed to do?
- fusionpixel0
Do you mean a "no compete" agreement/clause?
Doesn't a NDA just protect your company's and their client's intellectual property?
Mimio
(Nov 21 05, 13:02)
----
Exactly! The (Do not contact our clients for the next 18 months after our contract has ended, all arwork belongs to the company thus you are not allowed to show the work without the written permission from the company).
- seed0
Sorry my mistake. I meant:
that would NOT allow you to show the work you did in a portfolio.
- -sputnik-0
i've never worked for a place which wouldn't allow me to show the work i did when i worked for them.
i've signed other documents such as intellectual property contracts or non-competes, but they had to be narrow (i.e. if i worked for a cosmetics company, none of my freelance work could be cosmetics-related).
i won't sign anything else.
- fusionpixel0
would you not work for a company that would require you to sign those kind of documents?
- Mimio0
So far every design job I've had (4) has had everyone sign agreements like that.
- -sputnik-0
i would not work for a company who was adamant about me not using any work i did there in my portfolio.
- seed0
I know, that could be pretty bad for the future of your career but it paid $80K (midwest US) so it may have been worth it for a while.
- tkmeister0
let your lawyer review it. always good to have a professional opinion. the contract documents usually have some loopholes.
- mrdobolina0
do you know anyone that has ever actually been sued for putting work in their portfolio?
- fusionpixel0
no that I know of, but its like an architect not being able to say "I build that tower" because he signed an NDA stating that only the construction company had the rights to promote the building.
weird huh?
Or the writer of a song not able to say he/she wrote a song because they signed an NDA....
- mrdobolina0
but isnt an NDA more like you dont talk about trade secrets or other sensitive information related to the project?
I have signed those before, but not like how you are talking...
- fusionpixel0
yeah, the NDAs that we are all familiar with im OK with. but I just got a new NDA that has some coments in there where it statets that you cant work for a competitor or contact the clients from the company you are working for for 18 months after the day you quit or get fired. kinda they put all the stuff in one place.
- ukit0
If the work is not-yet-released, or an internal application of some kind that's critical to the company's business, it's perfectly fair for them to require you not to show it.
On the other hand, if they're just arbitrarily saying that you can't show anything you produce - well, I wouldn't take that job.
- algorithm0
I had lawyers and the piece of shit agency on my ass for NDA's.
F-ed thing, the CD said I could put work up.
And even after I left , I put the work back up, they still emailed threating legal action.