PIIA
Law & Legal abbreviation · Contract
| Stands for | Proprietary information and inventions assignment agreement |
|---|---|
| Categories | Law & Legal |
PIIA stands for Proprietary information and inventions assignment agreement, a contract abbreviation.
Agreement, usually signed by employees and contractors when they start work at a technology company, that protects the company's confidential information and assigns to the company inventions created during the relationship. Investors check during due diligence that every founder and engineer has signed one.
Example: The lead investor's checklist required a signed PIIA from every engineer who had worked on the codebase.
Usage notes
States limit how far assignment can reach: California Labor Code § 2870 bars assigning inventions developed entirely on the employee's own time without company equipment or trade secrets, unless they relate to the employer's business. Similar agreements go by CIIAA or simply invention assignment agreement. Missing assignments can cloud a startup's patent ownership.
Related abbreviations
More contract abbreviations
- MOU – Memorandum of understanding
- MSA – Master services agreement
- MTA – Material transfer agreement
- NCA – Noncompete agreement
- NDA – Nondisclosure agreement
- NTP – Notice to proceed
- PSA – Purchase and sale agreement
- R&W – Representations and warranties
- RFP – Request for proposal
- ROFO – Right of first offer
- ROFR – Right of first refusal
- RWI – Representations and warranties insurance
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This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.