What if the Solver works for our competitor?

There can be no assurance that a Solver does not work for a competitor. Our innovation platform is by definition “open” which solicits the best solution from wherever it might originate in the world. Our Challenge Specific Agreements protect your confidential information and provide you rights of recourse in any case of breach by a Solver. We never disclose the identity of the Seeker posting a Challenge without their permission. In addition, our Client Services team is very experienced and effective in working with our Seekers to disguise the type of industry and even the real nature of the problem that is being posed. Any Solution from a Solver who may work for your competitor would be transferred to you along with an Employer Waiver. If during the verification process you discover that a competitor’s employee has responded to your Challenge and you have received a written waiver from said Solver’s employer for the solution, you are free to accept or reject the solution on its merits. If a Solver has breached confidentiality agreements either in the Challenge Specific Agreement or to its own employer, that is actionable by the Seeker. Some Seekers have chosen on occasion to specifically identify particular companies for which a Solver may not work – mainly to avoid possible issues of intellectual property (IP) contamination, the InnoCentive agreement platform can support such levels of granularity.