How long should an NDA last — can it be perpetual?

One to five years from disclosure is typical for ordinary business information; three years is a common default. Indefinite confidentiality is generally reserved for genuine trade secrets, which stay protected for as long as they are kept secret. An open-ended term over ordinary information can make an NDA harder to enforce, not stronger.

Is a free NDA template legally binding?

A signed NDA is a contract in both the US and the UK — templates included. The real risk is fit, not validity: the wrong direction, a vague definition of confidential information, or missing current-law wording (the US DTSA notice, the UK's 2025 victim carve-outs) can leave you with an agreement that binds but doesn't protect the thing you cared about.

Do I need an NDA with a freelancer — and does it hold up?

Yes. Platform terms and implied duties are weak substitutes for a signed confidentiality agreement, and clients often contractually require you to bind your subcontractors. In the US, note that the DTSA's whistleblower-notice requirement expressly covers contractors and consultants — omit the notice and you forfeit exemplary damages and attorney fees in a federal trade-secret claim against that worker.

Can an NDA stop someone reporting wrongdoing?

No — and it shouldn't try. In England and Wales, NDAs signed on or after 1 October 2025 are unenforceable to the extent they stop a victim of criminal conduct speaking to the police, regulators, qualified lawyers or support services (Victims and Prisoners Act 2024). US federal law likewise protects confidential whistleblower disclosures of trade secrets to the government (18 U.S.C. §1833(b)). GitLaw's drafts carve these out expressly.

What happens if someone breaks an NDA?

You can claim damages for the loss the breach caused, and courts can grant injunctions to stop further disclosure — often the remedy that matters most, since a secret can't be un-shared. Trade-secret statutes (the DTSA and state UTSA laws in the US; breach of confidence in the UK) can add further remedies. The practical first step is usually a firm letter — GitLaw drafts that too.

Should I ask a client to sign an NDA before a pitch?

Usually not at the first conversation — many buyers won't sign pre-pitch NDAs, and insisting can cost you the room. The working convention: pitch the ideas, then introduce a mutual NDA at the point real technical or commercial detail starts changing hands. If the pitch itself is the secret — a formula, a working build — get the NDA first and say why.

What counts as confidential — and what's excluded?

Whatever the definition clause captures — which is why it's the clause most worth tailoring to your situation. Standard exclusions in both countries: information that is already public (through no fault of the recipient), known before disclosure, independently developed, or lawfully obtained from someone else. Disclosures required by law or a court are also carved out.

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Static templates make you do the lawyering — mutual or one-way, how long, which law. GitLaw keys the document to your situation and shows the draft before you sign up. A preview, not legal advice.

Previewing an NDA protecting your pitch deck and pricing, to be signed by [Counterparty Name] · drafted 6 August 2026

GitLaw drafts with tried & tested templates like:One-way NDA — GOV.UK

Non-disclosure agreement — first page

NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT — drafted 6 August 2026 Protecting: your pitch deck and pricing To be signed by: [Counterparty Name] PARTIES (1) Your business (the "Discloser"); and (2) [Counterparty Name] (the "Recipient"). 1. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION "Confidential Information" means information disclosed in connection with the purpose above — including your pitch deck and pricing — but not information that: (a) is or becomes public through no fault of the Recipient; (b) was lawfully known before disclosure; (c) is independently developed; or (d) is received from a third party free of any duty of confidence. 2. OBLIGATIONS The Recipient will use the Confidential Information only for the agreed purpose, protect it with at least reasonable care, and disclose it only to people who need it and are bound by the same duties. 3. TERM Three (3) years from each disclosure — with trade secrets protected for as long as they stay secret. 4. PERMITTED DISCLOSURES Nothing in this agreement prevents a disclosure required by law. UK agreements signed on or after 1 October 2025 expressly preserve a crime victim's right to speak to the police, regulators, lawyers and support services (Victims and Prisoners Act 2024); US agreements covering employees or contractors carry the DTSA whistleblower notice (18 U.S.C. §1833(b)) — omit it and you forfeit exemplary damages and attorney fees. Sign-ready after a quick check of the details above.

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GitLaw drafts with trusted templates from its library

Mutual NDA — GOV.UK One-way NDA — GOV.UK Mutual NDA — Common Paper

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Describe the situation in plain English. GitLaw picks the right form, sets the term, adds the clauses current law expects — and keeps every document in a workspace you can reuse.

Asks the right questionsSharing, receiving, or both? Client pitch or freelance hire? The answers decide the document — so it asks first.

Drafts to current lawUS drafts carry the DTSA notice; UK drafts the 2025 carve-outs. Static templates from 2020 do neither.

Remembers your businessYour company details, standard terms and past documents feed the next draft — no re-typing.

One workspaceDraft, review, e-sign and store the signed NDA in one place — with the freelancer pack alongside it.

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