Better check out the TSA and that will lead you to IPT's. It has little to do with HDO's commentary on NDA's. NDA's are going the other direction. For modelling, the TSA dictates ownership as creation occurs. Patents and copyrights are very limited compared to TS's. The reasons center around the value of not allowing competition to use IP and TS. A competitive edge has great value. See how Buffett expresses it financially.* A TS lasts over 3 generations. This assigns value to the creations. Secondly, the filings establish who came first. Most filings are about 100% redacted as it turns out. Their enforcement is sweetest of all since the infringer never sees the basis of the infraction, only the court does since the discovery does not go beyond the redacted documentation for the infringer. You may notice that you have never read much about TS and IP infringements in the financial industry. There's not much news in reading blanked out documents (redacted documents) The world is different than you or HDO think it is regarding ideas, their modelling and develpment. Non disclosure and non compete stuff is just superficial compared to IP and TS which is what you have brought up. Financial organizations are highly compartmentalized for good reason. There are many walls between a unique creation and the day-to-day utility of corporate book, securitization, and the trading desks. When someone who walks into an organization with things of value, the relationship is determined in ways that are not commonly used. Mostly the corporation is offering an invitation where it is clear that TS and IP are on the table. It is not something that is on the street so to speak. *Durable competitive advantage. See recent tungsten three way with Isreali's and Chinese. Got plant up in 6 months from stratch.
my point was the trader asking the hedge fund to sign a paper, not the other way around, re-read the OP and my response.
I always get a laugh about how protective traders are of what they do. First, a majority of us do the same thing, thus it works well. Second, what works for you works because you built it. I could write out my plan and post it for all the world to see and can almost bet that maybe 1 out of 100 (besides me) can make it work. Why? Personality. Give someone what you do and watch them fail. They are only looking for an easy out if they copy your plan. I till not work. Moral is that I don't think there is any reason you would loose a job because you told them how you traded. That is just paranoia. If that were the case, the fund would say "This is the way we trade, these are our rules..." and it would all be done by computer. That is my .0002 hope you enjoyed
please do my motivation is not paranoia to lose the job. the idea is rather to have a continuing income stream once i leave the company. (i dont want to waste my life forever...)
Why not just trade yourself then? I don't know this so forgive me but, if you are a fund manager, you get residuals for life???