Confidential Information and Inventions Assignment Agreements (CIIAA)

Also known as Proprietary Information and Inventions Assignment Agreements (or PIIAAs), Confidential Information and Inventions Assignment Agreements ensure that intellectual property and other proprietary rights created by employees during the course of their employment are assigned to the employer.

Effective CIIAAs assign intellectual property to the company and also contain nondisclosure, nonsoliciation, and (in some cases) noncompetition clauses (beware, though, that in some states, such as California, noncompetition clauses in these types of agreements are not enforceable and, accordingly, should not be included). Inventions or intellectual property created by the employee prior to beginning their employment are carved-out from the assignment by this type of agreement.