oneNDA is an open-source, standard-form non-disclosure agreement co-created by the legal community, including leading international law firms, in-house legal teams, and multinational companies.

It’s used by over 1,000 organizations worldwide and its terms have been extensively reviewed and refined by the legal community.

No. You can sign this NDA without adopting oneNDA more widely.

However, if like us, you want to reduce the time your legal team spends reviewing and negotiating NDAs, you may want to consider adopting oneNDA as your organizational standard too. It’s designed to remove unnecessary friction so your teams can focus on higher‑value work. For more information visit OneNDA's website.

 Yes - you can download a copy of oneNDA.  

The only terms that can be changed are the limited variables on the front sheet, i.e. the:

• Purpose
• Confidentiality Period
• Governing Law
• Dispute Resolution Method

Adding bespoke language undermines the efficiency benefits of using oneNDA. We haven’t changed anything in the template, as oneNDA is designed to operate effectively in its standard form.

If oneNDA in its standard form isn’t suitable for you, we can of course review and negotiate an alternative NDA, although this will typically take longer.

Yes, you can use your own NDA if you prefer.

Wherever possible, we recommend using oneNDA, as it’s designed to streamline review and speed up the contracting process.

Using oneNDA usually allows us to finalize arrangements more quickly. Where an alternative NDA is used, additional legal review is required, which can extend timelines depending on complexity.

We’ll always work with you in whichever way suits you best; we just want to set expectations that using your own NDA may not be as fast as using oneNDA.

oneNDA has been developed through an extensive drafting process involving leading law firms and in‑house lawyers from around the world. It covers the core obligations you’d typically expect to see in an NDA, without burdening the parties with unnecessary or overly onerous provisions.

That said, some clauses have been deliberately excluded to keep the document streamlined and genuinely standardized. The oneNDA team has published a “Graveyard Document” which explains why certain terms you may be used to seeing in traditional NDAs aren’t included, and the legal rationale behind those decisions.

Most NDAs limit confidentiality obligations to a period of 2–5 years from either the date of the NDA or the date the confidential information is disclosed. Under clause 4(a) of oneNDA, the confidentiality period runs from the date on which confidential information is disclosed.

The Confidentiality Period is one of the variables that can be changed within oneNDA. Our standard position is 5 years, with trade secrets remaining protected for as long as they continue to qualify as trade secrets.

We expect this approach to be acceptable to most companies. However, if you would prefer a shorter period, we’re happy to agree a confidentiality period of between 2 and 5 years.

 As a UK company, we’ve provided for the governing law and jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales to apply by default. However, if confidential information will be mainly disclosed by you to us and you’re based outside the UK, then we can consider other options.