A Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA), also referred to as a Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA), is used to protect proprietary information. It is a legal document that binds the parties to hold in confidence and to not disclose for a period of time confidential information received or exchanged on a defined topic. Information exchanged under a CDA is not considered a public disclosure and is often necessary to protect an inventor from potentially jeopardizing patent rights.