We almost always sign non-disclosure agreements before beginning projects.
 Non-compete clauses need to be looked at VERY carefully though, as they may
take segments of your market away.  We seldom agree to non-compete as we feel
our clients are protected by the non-disclosure agreement.  We have lost very
little opportunities by refusing to sign the non-compete.

This is a very sensitive issue (intellectual property, etc.) and can get
legal ugly.  We even have a client that makes potential suppliers/consultants
sign a NON-confidentiality agreement.  This says that by signing you will not
reveal any secrets to them and anything you tell them, by telling them,
becomes public domain.

Mark A. Corio
Rochester MicroSystems, Inc.
200 Buell Road, Suite 9
Rochester, NY  14624
Tel:  (716) 328-5850 --- Fax:  (716) 328-1144
http://www.frontiernet.net/~rmi/

***** Designing Electronics For Research & Industry *****