Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement (PIIA)
A Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement (PIIA) is an employment-related contract in which an employee agrees to keep company information confidential and to assign to the company the rights to inventions created during their employment. Use this when onboarding a new employee at a startup or company, to establish confidentiality obligations and assign ownership of inventions created during employment.
What's included
A ready-to-use proprietary information and inventions agreement (piia) with signature fields already placed for Company and Employee. Fill in the bracketed details (like [Company Name] or [Date]) using Docracy's built-in text editor, then send it out for signature.
This is a general template for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney to review it for your specific situation and jurisdiction before use.
Key clauses
- Confidentiality obligations for proprietary and company information
- Assignment of work-related inventions to the company
- Prior inventions carve-out and disclosure schedule
- Duty to disclose inventions made during employment
- Return of company property and materials upon termination
- Survival of obligations after employment ends
What you'll fill in
[Company Name][Employee Name][Employment Start Date][Employee Job Title][Prior Inventions List/Exhibit][Effective Date][State/Jurisdiction of Employment]Legal summary
Signing this agreement obligates the employee to keep the company's confidential information secret both during and after employment, and assigns to the company ownership of inventions and work product the employee creates within the scope of employment, other than inventions properly disclosed as pre-existing. The confidentiality obligations typically survive termination of employment.
Free for up to 2 signers, no account required. Need unlimited? Flat $10/month.
FAQ
Is this Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement (PIIA) legally binding?
Signing through Docracy uses a simple electronic signature (SES), which is legally recognized for everyday business agreements under laws like the U.S. ESIGN Act and the EU's eIDAS regulation. This is a general template, not legal advice — for high-stakes or regulated agreements, have a qualified attorney review it for your situation.
Who needs to sign this Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement (PIIA)?
This template includes signature fields for Company and Employee — already placed, so you just fill in the details and send.
Can I edit this Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement (PIIA) before sending it?
Yes — Docracy's editor lets you edit the text, add or remove signature fields, redact sections, and reorder pages before you send it.
Do I need an account to send this Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement (PIIA)?
No — it's free for up to 2 signers with no account required. Create a free account only if you want to save it to a dashboard or reuse it later.
Try it with an AI assistant
Paste one of these into ChatGPT, Claude, or your assistant of choice:
“Generate a filled Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement using this template for a new software engineer hire.”
“Explain what a PIIA actually assigns to the company versus what an employee keeps.”
“Adapt this PIIA to include a specific prior inventions disclosure schedule for the employee.”
Why teams start with Docracy
“Docracy is a great product that I have tested and am using. It is easy to use, has good tools, is always up to date, and implements new features. Highly recommended.”— DACH Advisory
Free for up to 2 signers, no account required. Need unlimited? Flat $10/month.