agreement not to post images recovered from hard drive

[andrea_hope]

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<p>Hello - My external hard drive recently crashed and is currently being recovered by a tech in his spare time. I use this tech for all computer related issues at the company I work for and I trust him, but would still like to have him sign a contract of some sort stating that he won't use or post my images for personal, web, or any other use. Just to cover myself as an artist. Does anyone know of a template for such an agreement, or any recommendations of one? Thank you.<br>

~Andrea</p>

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[Matt Laur]

<p>Sounds more like you want a boilerplate Non Disclosure Agreement. It doesn't have to be photo-specific, I wouldn't think. You might also simply remind him that all of your works - regardless of where they're stored or in what form - are subject to federal copyright laws and whatnot.<br /><br />But the <em>real</em> question: why would you use a tech you can't trust in the first place? Not picking on you - just getting to the heart of the matter.</p>

[andrea_hope]

<p>Thanks for your response Matt. As I stated in my post, I do trust him but since this is considered a "side job" I guess to put my mind at ease I would feel more comfortable having a signed agreement of some sort. Of course all work he undertakes at my company is contracted and documented, so I guess it would just feel more "official" to document and protect this "side job" as well. <br>

I will check out the boilerplate Non Disclosure Agreement. Thanks.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Did I mention that I'm not a lawyer? Me caveman. I suppose I should point that out at all times. If you have reason to fret about the consequences, it can't hurt to talk to a pro.</p>

[hal_b]

<p>It's typically called a Confidentiality Agreement. Me no lawyer, neither. This should be totally common for hard drive recovery services. There are plenty of people who manage sensitive data and employ hard disk recovery firms under confidential contracts. If your guy isn't familiar with this type of agreement, you might want to switch to an expert in this one area for this one job. Your tech might be great at everything else, but there are dedicated companies that specialize in this type of hyper-delicate procedure.</p>

[andrea_hope]

<p>Thanks Hal, I check the Confidentiality Agreement out as well.</p>

[alec_myers]

<p>Of course I can't think of a better way to encourage someone to nose around in and take copies of a set of pictures than to tell him or how how important it is that they don't copy them.</p>

[rayabel]

<p>It's kind of like asking the lock smith to not give anyone else a copy of the key to your house. It's already understood as a rule. Same thing with data recovery. It's an unspoken rule. Even a judge would agree.<br>

P.S. Let him know you do want the old hard drive back when he is done with it!</p>

[andrea_hope]

<p>Good point as well, which I have thought of. Wouldn't want to insult him or his work ethic either. I don't know, I think I'll just get back both hard drives and just verbally agree that my images will remain protected and mine, and trust that. </p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>I would not mention it at all. For a computer tech, data is all just bits and bytes and he most likely has no interest in what the content is.</p>