NDA & IP Assignment
Every Built By DAO member agrees to confidentiality and intellectual property terms upon joining. These protections exist for everyone—they keep proprietary work secure and ensure the collective owns what it builds together.
Confidentiality protection
DAO-first with carve-outs
All members
Membership + 2 years
🎯 Purpose: Protect proprietary information and ensure work product belongs to the collective
📍 Governed by: Wyoming law, consistent with the Operating Agreement
📜 Non-Disclosure Agreement
When you join Built By DAO, you gain access to proprietary systems, strategies, and member data. The NDA protects that trust.
What's Confidential
🏗️ Business Operations
Property acquisition targets, development plans, financial projections
💻 Technical Systems
Smart contract architecture, platform source code, API keys, infrastructure details
👥 Member Data
Personal information, wallet addresses, compensation rates, performance reviews
💰 Financial Information
Treasury balances (beyond public on-chain data), investment terms, budget allocations
🗳️ Governance Internals
Council deliberations, pre-announcement proposals, strategic planning
🤝 Partner Relations
Vendor terms, partnership negotiations, supplier agreements
What's NOT Confidential
⛓️ Public on-chain data
Transactions, token balances, and governance votes visible on Base
📖 Published documentation
Everything on docs.builtbydao.com
📢 Public announcements
Official communications from the DAO
🌐 General DAO concepts
The model itself—contribution creates ownership
👤 Your own work portfolio
You can reference your role and general contributions
Your Obligations
🔒 Don't disclose
Never share confidential information outside the DAO without authorization
🔑 Secure access
Protect credentials, lock devices, use strong passwords
📋 Need-to-know
Only access confidential information relevant to your role and tasks
🚨 Report breaches
Immediately report suspected leaks to [email protected]
📤 Return materials
Return or destroy confidential materials if you leave the DAO
Duration
🟢 During membership
Full confidentiality obligations
🟡 After departure
2-year post-membership confidentiality period
⛓️ Trade secrets
Indefinite protection for qualifying trade secrets
🧠 Intellectual Property Assignment
Built By DAO is a collective. When you create work for the DAO—code, designs, content, processes—that work belongs to the collective. This is how shared ownership works: your contributions build equity for everyone, including you.
What the DAO Owns
All work product created for, during, or in connection with DAO projects and tasks:
💻 Code & Software
Smart contracts, platform features, scripts, tools, libraries
🎨 Design & Creative
Logos, UI/UX designs, marketing materials, visual assets
📝 Written Content
Documentation, proposals, reports, training materials
🏗️ Technical Work
Architectural plans, engineering drawings, specifications
📊 Data & Analysis
Research, analytics, models, datasets created for DAO use
🔧 Processes & Methods
Workflows, operational procedures, business methods
💡 Inventions
Tools, systems, or innovations developed for DAO projects
What You Keep
🧠 Prior IP
Anything you created before joining or outside DAO work
🏠 Personal projects
Work unrelated to DAO's business, done on your own time with your own resources
📚 General skills
Knowledge, skills, and experience you develop—these are always yours
🗂️ Portfolio rights
You can reference your DAO work in portfolios and resumes (without disclosing confidential details)
🔧 Pre-existing tools
Tools and frameworks you brought to the DAO remain yours; the DAO gets a license to use them
The Mechanism
1️⃣
You accept a task or project through the task system
2️⃣
You create work product and submit it
3️⃣
Work product is reviewed through QC processes
4️⃣
You earn EQTBLT — your permanent equity stake
5️⃣
IP ownership transfers to Built By DAO LLC
The exchange is explicit: you contribute intellectual property, you receive equity. Not wages that disappear—permanent, non-transferable ownership in everything the collective builds.
Pre-Existing IP Disclosure
If you plan to use your own pre-existing tools, code, or materials in DAO work:
📋 Disclose upfront
List pre-existing IP before starting the task
📝 Document it
Note what's yours vs. what's new in your submission
🔓 Grant a license
The DAO receives a perpetual, royalty-free license to use it
🔑 Retain ownership
You keep full ownership of your pre-existing work
⚖️ Key Terms & Definitions
Assignment Scope
Work Product
Any tangible or intangible creation made in connection with DAO tasks, projects, or responsibilities
DAO Work
Tasks assigned through the platform, project contributions, governance work, and any activity compensated with EQTBLT
Personal Work
Work created entirely on your own time, with your own resources, unrelated to DAO business
Prior IP
Intellectual property you owned before joining or created independently outside DAO work
Rights Granted
Ownership
Built By DAO LLC
All work product created for DAO projects
License
Built By DAO LLC
Perpetual, royalty-free use of pre-existing IP incorporated into DAO work
Portfolio
You
Right to reference and display your contributions (non-confidential)
Moral rights
You
Attribution as creator where applicable
Open Source Considerations
🔓 Using open source in DAO work
Permitted. Follow the license terms. Disclose dependencies.
📤 DAO releasing code as open source
Governed by governance proposals. The DAO decides.
🔧 Contributing to external open source
Your own time, your choice. Don't include DAO proprietary code.
Enforcement
🟡 Accidental disclosure
Report immediately. Corrective action. No penalty if reported promptly.
🟠 Negligent disclosure
Warning, potential rank restriction, required retraining
🔴 Intentional disclosure
Suspension or removal, potential legal action
⚫ IP theft
Immediate removal, legal action, forfeiture of unvested benefits
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
General
Do I have to sign this to join? Yes. NDA and IP assignment are part of the membership agreement. All members at every rank agree to these terms.
What if I disagree with a specific term? Raise it during onboarding. The terms are standard for collective organizations, but we're open to discussing concerns. Substantive changes would require a governance proposal.
IP Questions
I'm a freelancer. Can I still take other clients? Absolutely. Your personal work and other client work remain yours. The IP assignment only covers work you do for Built By DAO projects and tasks.
What about code I write on my own time that's similar to DAO work? If it's created on your own time, with your own resources, and doesn't use confidential DAO information—it's yours. When in doubt, disclose it. Transparency prevents disputes.
Can I use open-source libraries in my DAO work? Yes. Built By DAO encourages using open-source tools. Just follow the license terms and document your dependencies. The DAO's IP claim applies to the original work you create, not to third-party open-source code.
What happens to my IP if I leave the DAO? Work product you created for the DAO stays with the DAO. Your EQTBLT stays with you—that's your permanent equity representing those contributions. Your personal IP, pre-existing work, and general skills remain yours.
Confidentiality Questions
Can I tell people I'm a member of Built By DAO? Yes. Your membership, role, and general contribution area are not confidential. Specific project details, financial figures, and member data are.
What about discussing DAO concepts at conferences or in articles? Sharing the model—how contribution creates ownership, how quadratic voting works, how equity-building leases function—is encouraged. Don't share specific financial data, unreleased plans, or proprietary implementation details.
How do I know what's confidential? When in doubt, ask your project lead or division head. The general rule: if it's not publicly available on docs.builtbydao.com or on-chain, treat it as confidential.
📋 Agreement Summary
What You Agree To
🔒 Keep confidential information private
Membership + 2 years (trade secrets: indefinite)
🧠 Assign DAO work product to Built By DAO LLC
Upon creation
📋 Disclose pre-existing IP used in DAO work
Before starting each task
🔑 Secure your access credentials
Ongoing
📤 Return confidential materials upon departure
Upon leaving
What You Receive
Permanent ownership stake for every contribution
Voting power proportional to your equity
Advancement through demonstrated contribution
🗂️ Portfolio rights
Reference your work publicly (non-confidential details)
🛡️ Legal protection
Limited liability as an LLC member
🔍 Comparison: Traditional vs. Built By DAO
IP ownership
Company owns everything
DAO owns DAO work; you keep personal work
What you get
Salary (spent and gone)
EQTBLT (permanent equity)
Non-compete
Often 1-2 years, broad
No non-compete. Work wherever you want.
Portfolio use
Often restricted
Explicitly allowed (non-confidential)
Post-departure
Nothing. You leave with nothing.
Your EQTBLT stays. Your equity is permanent.
Governance
None
Voting rights proportional to contribution
⚠️ Legal Notice: This page summarizes the NDA and IP assignment terms for informational purposes. The legally binding terms are in the membership agreement you sign during onboarding. If there's any conflict between this summary and the signed agreement, the signed agreement governs. This is not legal advice—consult a qualified attorney for your specific situation.
📬 Questions?
⚖️ Legal questions: [email protected]
🔒 Report a breach: [email protected]
📋 General questions: Ask in Discord #legal-help or contact your project lead
🔗 Related Pages
⚖️LegalGuidelinesCompliance🎯Member OnboardingEQTBLT Token🔨OverviewLast updated