{"id":1186,"date":"2020-12-14T02:31:09","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T02:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nz.legalvision.com.au\/?p=1186"},"modified":"2025-08-28T21:04:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T08:04:06","slug":"what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/commercial-contracts\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Commercial in Confidence in NZ?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When running your own business, you may want to protect <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/commercial-contracts\/what-is-confidential-information\/\">confidential information<\/a>, such as trade secrets or other commercially valuable information. In that case, you should sign a confidentiality agreement or non disclosure agreement (NDA) before sharing any ideas or information with people outside your business. This agreement will help you formalise your relationship with the receiver of the confidential information and provide you with legal remedies if they do not fulfil their obligations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some common situations in which you may need to sign an NDA include disclosing sensitive information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>to an employee or contractor; <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>as part of a purchase or sale; or <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>about an invention. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This article explains what Commercial in Confidence (CIC) means in New Zealand and what you should include in a confidentiality agreement to protect your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What is Commercial in Confidence?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Commercial in Confidence (CIC) refers to confidential information about your business that has a specific purpose. It includes any information that the receiver acquired throughout a commercial relationship with you, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">market position;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">trade secrets;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">customers&#8217; personal information;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">commercial contracts;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/intellectual-property\/5-ip-assets\/\">intellectual property<\/a>;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">financial statements; and&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">key partnerships.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n    <div class=\"my-7 lg:my-10 border-y-2 border-gray-100 py-7 lg:py-10 flex flex-col sm:flex-row items-start gap-10\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"w-52 mx-auto my-0! rounded\" src=\"https:\/\/img.legalvision.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/04125848\/nz-ess-guide-560x792-2.jpg\" alt=\"Front page of publication\"\n                 loading=\"lazy\" width=\"208\" height=\"298\">\n                <section>\n            <div class=\"text-2xl font-bold\">Employee Share Schemes for New Zealand<\/div>\n            <div class=\"body-text\">\n                <p>Understand how an Employee Share Scheme will help your NZ startup attract and retain great talent.<\/p>\n            <\/div>\n            \n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/go.legalvision.co.nz\/ess-guide-nz.html\" class=\" block px-5 py-3.5 max-w-fit bg-orange button__hover transition rounded text-white font-bold text-lg no-underline uppercase leading-tight text-center\" target=\"\" rel=\"\">Download Now<\/a>        <\/section>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What Information Should You Treat As Commercial in Confidence?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your confidentiality agreement outlines the recipient&#8217;s obligations not to u<\/span>se or disclose the information, except for the purpose agreed upon<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Therefore, two critical definitions in this agreement are &#8216;confidential information&#8217; and &#8216;permitted purpose&#8217;.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You should clearly state what commercial information is confidential without making this definition too broad. Being too general could potentially undermine the protection of confidential information and make it more difficult for the other party to comply with it.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, you can be as specific as you need to. For example, you can include individual categories in the definition of confidential information, such as: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">contracts;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">financial details;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">customer lists;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">employee details; or <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">software. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can also carve out particular information, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">any information that is already publicly available;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">information that the receiver already knows; and<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">information obtained from a third party who is not bound by the confidentiality agreement.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"box box--info box--icon\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tip: You can use a template to draft your confidentiality agreement. However, make sure that you are preventing the receiver from using confidential information for their benefit, removing any limitations of term and capturing situations where the receiver makes improvements to the information.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<a href=\"#content-next\"\n   class=\"block p-4 mt-10 text-xl font-bold text-center text-white no-underline bg-gray-800 rounded-t-xl\">\n    Continue reading this article below the form\n    <i class=\"text-xl fa-regular fa-arrow-down\"><\/i>\n<\/a>\n<div class=\"px-6 pt-10 pb-12 mb-10 text-center bg-gray-100 rounded-b-xl sm:px-12 test\">\n    <div class=\"mb-8 text-2xl font-bold text-orange\">\n        Need legal advice?\n        <br>\n        <span class=\"text-lg not-prose\">\n                            Call <a href=\"tel:+64800005570\" class=\"not-prose\">0800 005 570<\/a> for urgent assistance.\n                <br>\n                Otherwise, complete this form, and we will contact you within one business day.\n               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However, a more detailed NDA will give your business greater control over the information you disclose to others and save you potential litigation costs. Therefore, you should consider other critical elements when drafting your agreement, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">if there is more than one receiver, how will you apportion the liability between them;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">who will gain access (directly or indirectly) to the confidential information and how they could use it;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the type of entity and financial position of the receiver;&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">whether the confidentiality agreement should be mutual;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">additional restrictions on the use of the information to compete with you (the discloser);<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">what should happen in a case where disclosure is required by law; and&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">if the confidential information should be returned or destroyed and when.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ongoing Confidentiality Obligations after Termination&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While NDAs often cover the period during which the parties are actively working together, it is also important to address what happens after the relationship ends. Confidential information can retain its value long after a project or contract concludes, so the agreement should clearly state:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>how long the confidentiality obligations continue after termination (e.g., indefinitely or for a set number of years);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>what the recipient must do with the confidential information upon termination (e.g., return or destroy all documents);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>whether any types of information are exempt from ongoing obligations (e.g., information that has since become public).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Having clear post-termination provisions ensures the protection of information, even after the agreement ends. This reduces the risk of misuse or disclosure once the commercial relationship concludes and gives your business an added layer of long-term security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Generally, you can protect CIC information about your business using confidentiality clauses or agreements to prevent its unauthorised use. You should specify what information should be confidential, who the discloser and receiver of the information are, and their obligations regarding its disclosure. Therefore, whenever you need to share sensitive information about your business with another party, you should ask them to sign an NDA before disclosing the information. However, if you have already disclosed it before signing, you may still be able to protect it. You can discuss your options with your lawyer.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you need help with drafting or reviewing your confidentiality agreement, our experienced&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/contract-lawyers-lp\">commercial contract lawyers<\/a>&nbsp;can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers who can answer your questions and draft and review your documents. Call us today at&nbsp;<a href=\"tel:+64800447119\">0800 447 119<\/a>&nbsp;or visit our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/membership\/\">membership page<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1606880228344\"><h3 class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong>What does commercial in confidence mean?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Commercial in confidence generally refers to sensitive information about your business that you share with another party in confidence. Therefore, the person receiving this information must not use or disclose it without consent.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1606880258379\"><h3 class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong>What are examples of commercially sensitive information?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Commercially confidential information includes sensitive information that you may disclose to an employee or contractor, as part of a purchase or sale, or about an invention. For example, trade secrets, contracts, customers&#8217; or employees&#8217; information, financial documents, market position, designs and software.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1606880271477\"><h3 class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong>What should I include in a confidentiality agreement or non-disclosure agreement?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">You can use a standard confidentiality or NDA template to define what should be confidential, specify who is the discloser and receiver of the information, and outline the purpose of the disclosure. However, a more detailed NDA will consider other critical elements such as who will gain access (directly or indirectly) to the confidential information and how they could use it, or when the specified information should be returned or destroyed.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1606989773267\"><h3 class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong>What do I do if there has been a breach of confidence?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">If you think the other party to the agreement has committed a breach of confidentiality, you can take legal action against them. However, engaging in litigation is typically an expensive and drawn-out process, so you should try to resolve the matter outside of court.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When running your own business, you may want to protect confidential information, such as trade secrets or other commercially valuable information. In that case, you should sign a confidentiality agreement or non disclosure agreement (NDA) before sharing any ideas or information with people outside your business. This agreement will help you formalise your relationship with<a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/commercial-contracts\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;What is Commercial in Confidence in NZ?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13496,"featured_media":931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[24,41,154,155,156],"class_list":["post-1186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commercial-contracts","tag-startup","tag-commercial-contracts","tag-commercial-in-confidence","tag-non-disclosure-agreement","tag-nda"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is Commercial in Confidence in NZ? | LegalVision New Zealand<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you looking to protect your commercial in confidence information? 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Here is what to include in a confidentiality agreement in NZ.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/commercial-contracts\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"LegalVision New Zealand\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalVision\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-14T02:31:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-28T08:04:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/iStock-1152449591.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1335\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Georgia MacKay\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@LegalVision_law\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@LegalVision_law\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Georgia MacKay\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/commercial-contracts\\\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/commercial-contracts\\\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Georgia MacKay\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e9616ad9a9aa00d136d779d4efd56796\"},\"headline\":\"What is Commercial in Confidence in NZ?\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-14T02:31:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-28T08:04:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/commercial-contracts\\\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1084,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/commercial-contracts\\\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/iStock-1152449591.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"startup\",\"commercial contracts\",\"commercial in confidence\",\"non disclosure agreement\",\"NDA\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Commercial Contract Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-NZ\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/commercial-contracts\\\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"FAQPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/commercial-contracts\\\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/commercial-contracts\\\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\\\/\",\"name\":\"What is Commercial in Confidence in NZ? | LegalVision New Zealand\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/commercial-contracts\\\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/commercial-contracts\\\/what-does-commercial-in-confidence-mean-in-new-zealand\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/iStock-1152449591.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-14T02:31:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-28T08:04:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"Are you looking to protect your commercial in confidence information? 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