Confidential information

Définition

Confidential information is data disclosed by one party to another on the understanding that it will be kept secret and used only for an agreed purpose. Contracts define its scope, list exclusions (such as already-public information), and set the duration of the duty. In the EU, trade secrets receive additional protection under the Trade Secrets Directive, implemented in Dutch law by the Wet bescherming bedrijfsgeheimen.

Exemple

During a tender, a bidder receives the client's pricing models marked confidential and may use them only to prepare its proposal.

Pourquoi c'est un risque pour l'entreprise

Confidential information shared without adequate contractual protection can be used by competitors, disclosed to the market, or retained by departing employees. The risk intensifies when information flows to subcontractors or offshore teams who are not parties to the original NDA. A breach can be difficult to detect and harder to quantify, making prevention far cheaper than enforcement.

Comment le gérer

• Mark sensitive materials as confidential at the time of disclosure so there is no dispute about scope later.
• Define "confidential information" broadly in the contract but list clear exclusions: public domain, independently developed, or received from a third party.
• Require the recipient to impose the same confidentiality obligations on its own employees and subcontractors.
• Set a destruction or return obligation at end of contract so sensitive materials do not remain in the other party's systems.

Références juridiques

• Wbb (EU 2016/943) Dutch Trade Secrets Protection Act

Sauf mention contraire, les références renvoient au droit néerlandais (Burgerlijk Wetboek, le Code civil néerlandais) ; les instruments de l'UE tels que le RGPD s'appliquent dans toute l'UE. Il s'agit d'informations générales, pas de conseils juridiques. D'autres juridictions traitent ces concepts différemment. Vérifiez le texte en vigueur et votre situation avec un avocat qualifié.