This is part II of our series on what are commonly referred to as non disclosure agreements or NDAs. In Part I, “Why Non Disclosures (NDAs) Alone Are Not Enough For China,”
we talked about how many companies are using inadequate, off the shelf
American NDAs in China. Those agreements are inadequate for three
primary reasons. First, they typically fail to cover internal disclosure
within a network. Second, they oftentimes fail to prevent the Chinese
signing party from manufacturing or using the product or information
sought to be protected. To remedy this, non-use provisions are required.
Third, they usually fail to prevent the Chinese signing party from
circumventing the foreign company by going directly to the foreign
party’s customers or clients. To remedy this, non-circumvention
provisions are required.
But even if these NDA agreements were to account for the three issues discussed in Part I and more briefly above, most of the ones we see would still not be worth the paper on which they are printed because they are pretty much unenforceable in China. Let’s let co-blogger, Steve Dickinson, explain:
Most NDA agreements I see are just modifications of the standard NDA used in the U.S. The non-disclosure provisions do not deal with the special problems of related parties in China and the non-use/non-circumvention is treated inadequately or not at all. Only a carefully thought out NNN Agreement (non-disclosure, non-use, non-circumvention) that treats all the issues is of any real use in China.
Even the best agreement is of no use if it cannot be enforced. This is the other major defect of the typical NDA agreements I review: the agreement is usually not enforceable. It is absolutely required that an NNN Agreement be enforceable in China. And yet, most of the NDA agreements I read are governed by U.S. or English law with enforcement by litigation in the U.S. or England or by arbitration outside of China. This approach is almost always useless. U.S. courts almost never have jurisdiction over Chinese companies, so a judgment from a U.S. court is of no value.
Arbitration outside of China is expensive and slow and proof is difficult or impossible and denies access to injunctive type remedies that would be available for arbitration in China.
To greatly increase your chances of having an NNN Agreement that will actually be enforced, the following nearly always makes sense:
Many Chinese manufacturers quickly sign the traditional poorly drafted and unenforceable non disclosure agreement without even thinking about it. Why is that? Because they know that their signing it comes with little to no risk.
When a Chinese manufacturer sees a well drafted NNN Agreement, they will sometimes resist signing. For some manufacturers, the reason is simple. Their whole reason for doing your outsourcing work is to acquire your technology and designs for their own products. So long as your technology is not protected by patent or trade secrecy law, and you have failed to require the Chinese manufacturer sign a strong NNN Agreement, the Chinese manufacturer is free to use your technology for its own purposes. Absent an agreement that prevents them from doing otherwise, it is perfectly legal for a Chinese manufacturer to use your unprotected information for their own products manufactured under their own trademarks. However, if an NNN Agreement makes clear that the Chinese manufacturer cannot appropriate your technology and contacts, then the manufacturer that wanted your OEM manufacturing solely for these reasons is no longer motivated to enter into the arrangement with you.
Sometimes the manufacturer has more complex reasons for refusing to sign a well drafted and enforceable NNN Agreement. A well drafted and enforceable NNN agreement shows the Chinese manufacturer that the foreign party knows its way around China and that it plans to hold the Chinese manufacturer to the terms of their contractual commitments. For this reason, the Chinese manufacturer may reasonably decide it would be better off just manufacturing for those foreign companies that do not manifest an intent to hold the Chinese side to their commitments.
Therefore, using a well drafted and enforceable NNN Agreement does actually increase the risk that the Chinese side will refuse to sign. However, we see this as a good thing. If the Chinese side has a good reason for not signing, they will say so and the agreement can be modified to account for that. If the reason for the Chinese side refusing to sign is not a good one, the Chinese side will be forced to make this clear also. In either case, the foreign company benefits from finding out in advance what is really going on. This “advance notice” function is one of the main advantages of a good NNN Agreement; it forces both sides to face up to the real situation and to engage in a frank discussion of what is really required for a successful and long term relationship. This is a much better situation than ritually executing a meaningless agreement.
But even if these NDA agreements were to account for the three issues discussed in Part I and more briefly above, most of the ones we see would still not be worth the paper on which they are printed because they are pretty much unenforceable in China. Let’s let co-blogger, Steve Dickinson, explain:
Most NDA agreements I see are just modifications of the standard NDA used in the U.S. The non-disclosure provisions do not deal with the special problems of related parties in China and the non-use/non-circumvention is treated inadequately or not at all. Only a carefully thought out NNN Agreement (non-disclosure, non-use, non-circumvention) that treats all the issues is of any real use in China.
Even the best agreement is of no use if it cannot be enforced. This is the other major defect of the typical NDA agreements I review: the agreement is usually not enforceable. It is absolutely required that an NNN Agreement be enforceable in China. And yet, most of the NDA agreements I read are governed by U.S. or English law with enforcement by litigation in the U.S. or England or by arbitration outside of China. This approach is almost always useless. U.S. courts almost never have jurisdiction over Chinese companies, so a judgment from a U.S. court is of no value.
Arbitration outside of China is expensive and slow and proof is difficult or impossible and denies access to injunctive type remedies that would be available for arbitration in China.
To greatly increase your chances of having an NNN Agreement that will actually be enforced, the following nearly always makes sense:
- The Agreement must include an accurate translation into the Chinese language.
- The agreement must provide for enforcement through litigation in a Chinese court or through CIETAC arbitration. To further ensure that the NNN Agreement will be enforced, the NNN Agreement should provide for specific monetary damages that will be awarded in the case of a breach. Though U.S. and other common law systems sometimes discourage using this sort of liquidated damage provision, the Chinese system is the opposite. Specific contract damage provisions are encouraged since they ease the court’s work.
- Most NDA type agreements rely almost exclusively on injunctive relief as the primary enforcement mechanism. This is a a major mistake in China. The preference for injunctive relief in common law systems (such as the United States or England) is because it is often difficult or impossible to prove the amount of economic damages that result from a breach. This is not really an issue under Chinese law, where parties to a contract are encouraged to set a fixed amount for damages that will result from a breach. If written correctly, the liquidated damage amount sets a floor on damages, but if actual damages exceed that amount, it is permissible to seek damages for the excess. In addition, money damages and injunctive relief are not exclusive. A court or arbitrator is free to order that damages be paid and that the infringing/breaching party terminate the infringing action.
Many Chinese manufacturers quickly sign the traditional poorly drafted and unenforceable non disclosure agreement without even thinking about it. Why is that? Because they know that their signing it comes with little to no risk.
When a Chinese manufacturer sees a well drafted NNN Agreement, they will sometimes resist signing. For some manufacturers, the reason is simple. Their whole reason for doing your outsourcing work is to acquire your technology and designs for their own products. So long as your technology is not protected by patent or trade secrecy law, and you have failed to require the Chinese manufacturer sign a strong NNN Agreement, the Chinese manufacturer is free to use your technology for its own purposes. Absent an agreement that prevents them from doing otherwise, it is perfectly legal for a Chinese manufacturer to use your unprotected information for their own products manufactured under their own trademarks. However, if an NNN Agreement makes clear that the Chinese manufacturer cannot appropriate your technology and contacts, then the manufacturer that wanted your OEM manufacturing solely for these reasons is no longer motivated to enter into the arrangement with you.
Sometimes the manufacturer has more complex reasons for refusing to sign a well drafted and enforceable NNN Agreement. A well drafted and enforceable NNN agreement shows the Chinese manufacturer that the foreign party knows its way around China and that it plans to hold the Chinese manufacturer to the terms of their contractual commitments. For this reason, the Chinese manufacturer may reasonably decide it would be better off just manufacturing for those foreign companies that do not manifest an intent to hold the Chinese side to their commitments.
Therefore, using a well drafted and enforceable NNN Agreement does actually increase the risk that the Chinese side will refuse to sign. However, we see this as a good thing. If the Chinese side has a good reason for not signing, they will say so and the agreement can be modified to account for that. If the reason for the Chinese side refusing to sign is not a good one, the Chinese side will be forced to make this clear also. In either case, the foreign company benefits from finding out in advance what is really going on. This “advance notice” function is one of the main advantages of a good NNN Agreement; it forces both sides to face up to the real situation and to engage in a frank discussion of what is really required for a successful and long term relationship. This is a much better situation than ritually executing a meaningless agreement.
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