I will sign an NDA only if it is very specific and very limited, and relates to something concrete: for example, "the list of our clients and their contact deta

I will sign an NDA only if it is very specific and very limited, and relates to something concrete: for example, "the list of our clients and their contact details". Anything broader, never. Before we sign an NDA, we need to run it past our lawyers, which means legal fees, which means we have to bill the potential client. Somehow, suggesting that they cover our legal fees seems to scare off most potential clients, which gives some idea of how serious they are. For ideas, there are patents. If somebody tells you to sign an NDA because they haven't got the patent yet, they're being naive. Assume their idea is really brilliant and technically innovative. They're busy patenting it, but tell you under NDA. You tell your friend Sue, who goes and rolls it out before they do. Well, now they can sue you for the billions they will never make - good luck with that. But they can't sue Sue: she never signed anything with them, and they don't have a patent. If there's really a "secret sauce", patent first, talk later. Generally, though, there's just ketchup. I've also seen too many NDA's that include some sort of "rights grab", such as "any ideas that come up during our discussions belong to the company." I wish independent developers would stop signing anything that is put in front of them. It makes me seem quite unusual in the industry, and often means that the first 45 minutes of a meeting is spent explaining why I don't sign NDA's.