The NDA and the security related requirements are indeed fairly basic. The other conditions set by Apple, however, are not. But then again, nobody put a gun to GT Advanced's head.
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Unsealed GT Advanced Court Documents Give Insight Into Apple's Business Practices
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Signed a few commercial NDAs myself (non-tech company), I agree that these clauses are pretty standard to be honest, I've seen much worse. Nobody forced them to sign the contract, if you don't like it - that's what's negotiation is for or don't sign it at all.
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+1. You are right, I would bet on it that part of their supply chain / legal team came from government or defence projects.
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+1. You are right, I would bet on it that part of their supply chain / legal team came from government or defence projects.
Business is a rough world...
We had a client that processed castings, and the producer of the castings actually 'bought' the castings from this entity after they were 'processed'.
It got strange when the company that both made the castings, and used them after they were processed changed the contract to actually invoice this company for bad castings that they actually created! How's that for getting bitch slapped. The producer actually wanted this rather small company to purchase an couple of x-ray machines, at this small companies cost, so they could 'insure they weren't trying to sell bad castings' back to the producer of those castings.
When I heard that, I figured that we wouldn't have them as a client for much longer, and I was right.
The casting producer was like 'You either sign this contract and buy the equipment, or we end the agreement for nonperformance of requirements for the existing contract'. They actually considered buying 'an' x-ray unit at a massive cost to them that would take years to cost out based on what they were being paid.
Yeah, 'business' is a ****** world, and having a huge client like Apple leaves you in danger of being squashed if they roll the wrong way.
Sometimes not having a client is better than having your head held below the surface of a filled cesspool...
We had a client that processed castings, and the producer of the castings actually 'bought' the castings from this entity after they were 'processed'.
It got strange when the company that both made the castings, and used them after they were processed changed the contract to actually invoice this company for bad castings that they actually created! How's that for getting bitch slapped. The producer actually wanted this rather small company to purchase an couple of x-ray machines, at this small companies cost, so they could 'insure they weren't trying to sell bad castings' back to the producer of those castings.
When I heard that, I figured that we wouldn't have them as a client for much longer, and I was right.
The casting producer was like 'You either sign this contract and buy the equipment, or we end the agreement for nonperformance of requirements for the existing contract'. They actually considered buying 'an' x-ray unit at a massive cost to them that would take years to cost out based on what they were being paid.
Yeah, 'business' is a ****** world, and having a huge client like Apple leaves you in danger of being squashed if they roll the wrong way.
Sometimes not having a client is better than having your head held below the surface of a filled cesspool...
Not really. My company network was under constant attack from IPs in China and India. It's a very dangerous world for anyone with intellectual property worth stealing.
I had someone call me up to come look at something quite a number of years ago. They worked at a machine shop and were making a part for IBM.
They said the experience was like out of a sci-fi novel. They got contacted by a subsidiary of IBM to make this part. They received the drawings, with a courier that stayed with the drawings the whole time, and took them with him when he left. They bid on the contract, and actually got the job. They received a 'clean' copy of the plans. No company name, nothing to differentiate it from a random doodle from a bored CAD programmer, except for the words 'IBM TRADE SECRET SUBJECT TO CURRENT NDA' stamped in red across it, along with other threatening verbiage.
They had to up security at their shop, and limit access to the machines and the people programming them, and send any spoiled parts to them too. It was all hush-hush. They couldn't believe the secrecy, and what they were making. The plans had nothing to tell what the part was, or what it was eventually going to be a part of. There was a 'part number', but when they tried looking it up, they got nothing.
I got there, and they took me into a conference room and then brought in the part. They were just curious as to what it might be from, and after looking at it, I really didn't have a clue, which only heightened their awe at what it was, and why IBM tried so hard to keep it a secret. It looked like the bottom part of an aluminum box. That was it... Yet it was 'TOP SECRET'...
They wondered if it was military or something. No I said, probably just a random part for a new minicomputer. At that time I had signed probably a couple of dozen NDA's and non-compete's... Comes with the industry, and the funny thing was that not much of the stuff I was NDA'ed for was even worth talking about anyway....
I've had to sign an NDA for apple before
And, in saying that, you just violated the NDA. You will be billed by Apple for $136,000 in the near future.
Good day.
Great story, thanks for sharing.
Yeh this probably isn't all that common when vetting a supplier to see if said company could produce and shut up. Come up with a random part, necessary but non-revealing—or even just completely BS—to see if the company could be trusted. Get enough employees hitting the "secret" parts database can tell about a company's curiosity I suppose, use that part almost like a honeypot. Wonder if they got any future work from IBM... or if they failed the secrecy test.
It was kinda funny at that time because they claimed that the IBM guys were joking about Apple Computer being 'dead'. On its last legs. I found that funny after thinking of IBM reselling Palm Pilots and I believe they even had a re-branded iPod at one time? I know HP had something going with Apple on re-branding iPods at one time. HP made 'skins' for the original iPod too.
I do not know if they ever got any more work from IBM. I lost track of them over time. I heard they expanded into China with several subsidiary companies doing contract machining, but never heard about the IBM deal after that.
Apple is known for putting both suppliers and new hires on 'snipe projects' to see how they work out. I guess it's one way to gauge performance, but you have to wonder at what cost. I've read, and you probably have too about new employees being 'tested' that way for over a year. That seems excessive and extravagant, but I guess they can afford it...
Exactly correct.
And the government can prosecute one criminally if the NDA is violated.
Non-news item
Every NDA I've ever signed has pretty much looked like that one. All big companies have NDAs. So, looks standard really.
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I love the NDAs you have to sign to say you haven't signed another NDA
Every NDA I've ever signed has pretty much looked like that one. All big companies have NDAs. So, looks standard really.
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I've had to sign an NDA for apple before
I love the NDAs you have to sign to say you haven't signed another NDA
So? There's nothing wrong with Apple (or any other company) demanding top security from suppliers/project partners. Even "regular people" who pre-alpha/alpha and sometimes beta test a software are required to sign such contracts.
Worked for several multi-national high-tech companies over the years, including defence, and seen many NDAs. Apple's NDAs are draconian by any standards.
That is just stuff they put in print so they can distance themselves from crap like the foxconn suicides while saying "hey, it's their fault! we typed on page 117 of the agreement that they have to be nice to the workers!!!!!11"
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Probably would have kept that mbp2011 mess under control if AMD were willing to provide chips 7 years from EOL. These terms aren't anything to go nuts about, and a lot of of it makes basic sense.
No they're not. The ones for the US military are far more draconian.
Apple's are typical of large, successful US companies.
You sound like you are assuming no one within Apple leaks things, only partners/suppliers which is far from the truth...
