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RE: Does your organization mark PDF user guides as confidential?
Subject:RE: Does your organization mark PDF user guides as confidential? From:Lynne Wright <Lynne -dot- Wright -at- tiburoninc -dot- com> To:'TechWR-L' <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Fri, 30 May 2014 14:59:48 +0000
If the intent is not to keep the document private, but to indicate that the content isn't final, I watermark the pdf as "Preliminary" rather than "Confidential."
Any product document that we're distributing to anybody outside the company contains this statement:
"The material in this document is proprietary information of XX Inc. The information may not be copied or used in any manner. The document is submitted to the recipient for their use only. By receiving this document, the recipient undertakes not to duplicate the document or to disclose in a part of, or the whole of, any of the information or ideas contained herein to any third party without receiving prior written permission from XX Inc."
Sure, people can ignore that and share it, but it reminds them in theory, they could be sued if they pass on information to our competitors and we find out.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+lynne -dot- wright=tiburoninc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lynne -dot- wright=tiburoninc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Elissa K. Miller
Sent: May-29-14 5:39 PM
To: 'TechWR-L'
Subject: Does your organization mark PDF user guides as confidential?
Is it a standard practice to mark documentation for B2B software products (nothing government or military) as confidential? We don't print anything; documentation is available to customers as PDF or within in a webhelp system. If it matters, the software is always accessed through a browser; customers have nothing to install.
It seems to me that if something is published on the web for general use by customers and can be downloaded (even if a password is required), you have no reasonable expectation of confidentiality for the materials. And if it should fall into a competitor's hands, marking it confidential certainly doesn't STOP them from anything. Marking something so freely distributed as confidential just feels like an affectation. But, I admit that I know nothing.
I have no dog in this fight but I am around people who do.
Thanks,
Elissa
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