WORKED EXAMPLE · CONTRACT MARK-UP IN WORD
NDA blanks filled from a deal sheet, then Hong Kong law
A lawyer acting for a university spin-out received the university’s standard non-disclosure agreement as a Word file, with the firm’s deal sheet beside it. They asked to fill every blank from the deal sheet and make four commercial changes for the client, changing nothing else.
filled the parties, date, project, notices table, escalation officers and signature block, shortened the confidentiality period, widened who may see the information and cut the FOI response time, all in the same file. Then the partner asked for Hong Kong law and HKIAC arbitration, and rewrote the governing-law clause and brought the escalation clause into line.
1The upload: the University's NDA and the firm's deal sheet
LAW-01_NDA_Deal_Sheet_fictional.docx
12 October 2026
Halcyon Photonics Limited
14829376
Priya Raman
Thomas Hadley
Daniel Cheung
5.25.35.45.55.65.75.85.95.10
- 7 → 7pages, tables and widths unchanged
- 0clause numbers changed, the duplicate 5.3 included
- 21 / 21checks on the delivered wording passed
- 1optional bracket left for the lawyer to decide
Every change, one row each
lists every edit the AI made, so nothing changes without your seeing it. These are the edits from this run, one row per changed paragraph or table row, for both requests. Switch Show Changes off to read the final wording.
Open the real files
These are the actual files from the run. Download them and open them in Word.
Where the file comes from: Lambert Toolkit, UK Intellectual Property Office. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The deal sheet, the university, the company and every person named in it are fictional and were made up for this test.
01 · THE STARTING FILES
A 7-page template NDA and a 2-page deal sheet
The NDA is the sample confidentiality agreement from the UK government’s Lambert Toolkit for university–business collaborations: a cover page, five auto-numbered clauses, a definitions table, a notices table and a signature block. It is full of blanks in square brackets and alternative wordings to choose from, and it opens with a drafting note and a banner saying it has not been approved.
The toolkit publishes the agreement as an old .doc file; we saved it as .docx with LibreOffice before uploading it. The deal sheet is a Word file of two-column tables, as a firm would keep one.
02 · REQUEST 1
"Fill every blank from the deal sheet and mark up our points"
What the lawyer typed
We act for Halcyon Photonics (the Company) on the University's NDA. Deal sheet attached. Mark up the NDA in Track Changes, same Word file: 1. Fill every bracketed blank from the deal sheet (parties, date, project, 5.1 notices table, 5.10 officers, signature block). Change "Fax number" to "Email". 2. Clause 2.1: 5 years from receipt; delete the other options. 3. Clause 2.3: also allow disclosure to professional advisers and potential investors under equivalent confidentiality. 4. Clause 2.4: the Company's FOI response time is 5 Business Days, not 10 days. 5. Delete the opening Note and the "NOT APPROVED" banner. Change nothing else, including numbering and governing law.
What did
- Edited the uploaded Word file itself. Clause numbering, the four tables and their column widths are exactly as they were, and the agreement is still 7 pages.
- Filled the blanks from the deal sheet: the date (12 October 2026, on the cover and in the agreement), both parties with the company number and registered office, the project, both notice representatives with their addresses, the two escalation officers and the two signatories. "Fax number" became "Email", with each side’s email address.
- Clause 2.1: confidentiality now lasts 5 years from receipt, and the [3][5][7][10] options and "[date of this Agreement]" are gone.
- Clause 2.3: added a sentence letting the Company disclose to its professional advisers and potential investors under equivalent confidentiality.
- Clause 2.4: the Company’s FOI response time is now 5 Business Days instead of 10 days, using the defined term.
- Deleted the drafting note and the "NOT APPROVED" banner, and left the governing-law clause alone.
The prompt asked for tracked changes, but wrote the edits straight into the file. The redline below is ’s “Create track-changes report”, run on the before and after files.
Note: This sort of agreement might be used, for example, where a company and a university wish to exchange confidential information before they enter into a Research Collaboration Agreement, perhaps to further discussions about a potential research project.¶
THIS AGREEMENT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE LAMBERT WORKING GROUP; IT IS INCLUDED IN THE TOOLKIT TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE PROVISIONS THAT ARE OFTEN USED IN THIS SORT OF AGREEMENT.¶
Dated _________________________20[ ]¶
Dated 12 October 2026
(1) […………………………………………………………]The University of Kingsmere
(2) [………………………………………………………..]Halcyon Photonics Limited
NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT dated […………………………………………..] 200[5]12 October 2026 is made BETWEEN:
(1) […………………………..]The University of Kingsmere, whose administrative offices are at [……………………]Research & Innovation Services, Albion House, 14 College Road, Kingsmere KM4 2AB, United Kingdom (the University); and
(2)[……………………..] [Halcyon Photonics LIMITED], a company registered in [England] and Wales under number [………………]14829376, whose registered office is at [………………………………………………………………]Unit 7, Harbourside Innovation Centre, 22 Quay Street, Bristol BS1 4XE, United Kingdom (the Company)
BACKGROUND
The parties wish [to discuss a potential collaborative research project] on low-loss silicon-nitride photonic waveguides for data-centre optical interconnects (the Proposed Project) and this is likely to involve them disclosing confidential information to each other.
1. DEFINITIONS
In this Agreement the following expressions have the meaning set opposite:
this Agreement:
this document, as amended from time to time in accordance with clause and 5.7;
a Business Day:
Monday to Friday (inclusive) except bank or public holidays in [England]; and Wales;
Confidential Information:
each party's confidential information including any Intellectual Property and Know-how disclosed by that party to the other for the Specified Purpose[and identified as confidential before or at the time of disclosure];
a Group Company:
any undertaking which is, on or after the date of this Agreement from time to time, a subsidiary undertaking of the Company, a parent undertaking of the Company or a subsidiary undertaking of a parent undertaking of the Company, as those terms are defined in section 258 of the Companies Act 1985;
Intellectual Property:
patents, trade marks, service marks, registered designs, copyrights, database rights, design rights, confidential information, applications for any of the above, and any similar right recognised from time to time in any jurisdiction, together with all rights of action in relation to the infringement of any of the above;
Know-how:
unpatented technical information (including, without limitation information relating to inventions, discoveries, concepts, methodologies, models, research, development and testing procedures, the results of experiments, tests and trials, manufacturing processes, techniques and specifications, quality control data, analyses, reports and submissions) that is not in the public domain;
the Proposed Project:
[insert short details]; anda two-year collaborative research project on low-loss silicon-nitride photonic waveguides for data-centre optical interconnects; and
the Specified Purpose:
[discussing whether to collaborate with the other party in the Proposed Project, the preparation of any outline specification, proposal or workplan for the Proposed Project, and the submission of any application for funding for the Proposed Project].
2. CONFIDENTIALITY
2.1 Neither party will[, before the expiry of not less than [3][5][7][10]5 years after the [date of this Agreement][its receipt of any of the other party’s Confidential Information], disclose to any third party, nor use for any purpose except the Specified Purpose, any of the other party's Confidential Information.
2.2 Neither party will be in breach of any obligation to keep any information confidential or not to disclose it to any other party to the extent that it:
2.2.1 is known to the party making the disclosure before its receipt from the other party, and not already subject to any obligation of confidentiality to the other party;
2.2.2 is or becomes publicly known without any breach of this Agreement or any other undertaking to keep it confidential;
2.2.3 has been obtained by the party making the disclosure from a third party in circumstances where the party making the disclosure has no reason to believe that there has been a breach of an obligation of confidentiality owed to the other party;
2.2.4 has been independently developed by the party making the disclosure;
2.2.5 is disclosed pursuant to the requirement of any law or regulation (provided, in the case of a disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, none of the exceptions to that Act applies to the information disclosed) or the order of any Court of competent jurisdiction, and the party required to make that disclosure has informed the other, within a reasonable time after being required to make the disclosure, of the requirement to disclose and the information required to be disclosed; or
2.2.6is approved for release in writing by an authorised representative of the other party.
2.3 The Company will not be in breach of any obligation to keep any of the University's information confidential or not to disclose it to any third party by making it available to any Group Company, or any person working for or on behalf of the Company or a Group Company, who needs to know the same for the Specified Purpose, provided it is not used except for that purpose and the recipient undertakes to keep that information confidential.
The Company may also disclose the University's Confidential Information to its professional advisers and to potential investors, in each case only under equivalent confidentiality obligations or on a confidential basis.¶
2.4 If the University receives a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to disclose any information that, under this Agreement, is the Company’s Confidential Information, it will notify the Company and will consult with the Company. The Company will respond to the University within 10 days5 Business Days after receiving the University’s notice if that notice requests the Company to provide information to assist the University to determine whether or not an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act applies to the information requested under that Act.
3. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
3.1 Nothing in this Agreement grants any licence or right, beyond that required for the Specified Purpose, under any patent, copyright, trade secret or other Intellectual Property.
3.2Neither party will remove any proprietary, copyright, trade secret, confidentiality or other notice from any of the other’s Confidential Information.
4. TERM
4.1[Subject to clause 2.1, this][This] Agreement will continue indefinitely despite the conclusion of [the discussions between the parties concerning the Proposed Project].
4.2To the extent that the terms of this Agreement conflict with any agreement entered into between the parties for carrying out the Proposed Project, the terms of the agreement for the Proposed Project will prevail, but only to the extent necessary to resolve that conflict.
4.3 At the conclusion of [the discussions about the Proposed Project], unless the parties enter into an agreement for the carrying out of that project, each of the parties will, at the other’s request;
4.3.1return or destroy the other’s Confidential Information in its possession, custody or control; and
4.3.2confirm in writing that the above has been done.
5. GENERAL
5.1 Notices: Any notice to be given under this Agreement must be in writing, may be delivered to the other party by any of the methods set out in the left hand column below, and will be deemed to be received on the corresponding day set out in the right hand column:
Method of service
Deemed day of receipt
By hand or courier
the day of delivery
By pre-paid first class post
the second Business Day after posting
By recorded delivery post
the next Business Day after posting
By fax (provided the sender’s fax machine confirms complete and error-free transmission of that notice to the correct fax number)
the next Business Day after sending or, if sent before 16.00 (sender’s local time) on the Business Day it was sent
The parties' respective representatives for the receipt of notices are, until changed by notice given in accordance with this clause, as follows:
For the University:
For the Company:
Name: Ms Priya Raman, Senior Contracts Manager
Address:Address: Research & Innovation Services, Albion House, 14 College Road, Kingsmere KM4 2AB
Name: Mr Thomas Hadley, General Counsel, Halcyon Photonics Limited
Address:Address: Unit 7, Harbourside Innovation Centre, 22 Quay Street, Bristol BS1 4XE
Fax number:Email: [email protected]
Fax number:Email: [email protected]
5.2Headings: The headings in this Agreement are for ease of reference only; they do not affect its construction or interpretation.
5.3 Assignment: Neither party may assign or transfer this Agreement as a whole, or any of its rights or obligations under it, without first obtaining the written consent of the other party. That consent may not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
5.3Illegal/unenforceable provisions: If the whole or any part of any provision of this Agreement is void or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, the other provisions of this Agreement, and the rest of the void or unenforceable provision, will continue in force in that jurisdiction, and the validity and enforceability of that provision in any other jurisdiction will not be affected.
5.4Waiver of rights: If a party fails to enforce, or delays in enforcing, an obligation of the other party, or fails to exercise, or delays in exercising, a right under this Agreement, that failure or delay will not affect its right to enforce that obligation or constitute a waiver of that right. Any waiver of any provision of this Agreement will not, unless expressly stated to the contrary, constitute a waiver of that provision on a future occasion.
5.5No agency: Nothing in this Agreement creates, implies or evidences any partnership or joint venture between the parties, or the relationship between them of principal and agent. Neither party has any authority to make any representation or commitment, or to incur any liability, on behalf of the other.
5.6Entire agreement: This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties relating to its subject matter. Each party acknowledges that it has not entered into this Agreement on the basis of any warranty, representation, statement, agreement or undertaking except those expressly set out in this Agreement. Each party waives any claim for breach of this Agreement, or any right to rescind this Agreement in respect of any representation which is not an express provision of this Agreement. However, this clause does not exclude any liability which either party may have to the other (or any right which either party may have to rescind this Agreement) in respect of any fraudulent misrepresentation or fraudulent concealment prior to the execution of this Agreement.
5.7Amendments: No variation or amendment of this Agreement will be effective unless it is made in writing and signed by each party's representative.
5.8Third parties: No one except a party to this Agreement has any right to prevent the amendment of this Agreement or its termination, and no one except a party to this Agreement may enforce any benefit conferred by this Agreement, unless this Agreement expressly provides otherwise.
5.9Governing law: This Agreement is governed by, and is to be construed in accordance with, English law. The English Courts will have exclusive jurisdiction to deal with any dispute which has arisen or may arise out of, or in connection with, this Agreement, except that either party may bring proceedings for an injunction in any jurisdiction.
5.10Escalation: If the parties are unable to reach agreement on any issue concerning this Agreement or the Project within 14 days after one party has notified the other of that issue, they will refer the matter to [insert officer]Professor Alan Whitcombe, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) in the case of the University, and to [insert officer]Dr Mei Lin Wong, Chief Technology Officer in the case of the Company in an attempt to resolve the issue within 14 days after the referral. Either party may bring proceedings in accordance with clause 5.9 if the matter has not been resolved within that 14 day period, and either party may apply to the court for an injunction whether or not any issue has been escalated under this clause.
SIGNED for and on behalf of the University: Name: Dr Eleanor Marsh Position: Director of Research & Innovation Services Signature
SIGNED for and on behalf of the Company: Name: Daniel Cheung Position: Chief Executive Officer Signature
Where a lawyer would look twice: two template choices were made without being asked. Clause 4.1 kept "This Agreement" rather than "Subject to clause 2.1, this Agreement", and "[England]" in the Business Day definition became "England and Wales", where the company is registered. One option is still in brackets: "[and identified as confidential before or at the time of disclosure]" in the Confidential Information definition.
03 · REQUEST 2
"The partner wants Hong Kong law"
What the lawyer typed
Partner wants HK law (Halcyon's parent is now in HK). On the same marked-up version, in Track Changes: 1. Clause 5.9: Hong Kong law, HKIAC arbitration seated in Hong Kong; keep the injunction carve-out. 2. Business Day definition: Hong Kong public holidays instead of [England]. 3. Clause 5.10 still says "bring proceedings". Conform it to arbitration, or leave a Word comment for me. Keep all my earlier tracked changes; don't accept them.
What did
- Kept working in the Word file it had delivered for request 1, so every earlier edit is still there.
- Clause 5.9: the agreement is now governed by the laws of Hong Kong, with disputes resolved by HKIAC arbitration under the Administered Arbitration Rules, seated in Hong Kong, one arbitrator, in English. The injunction carve-out survives as interim or injunctive relief from any competent court.
- Business Day: public holidays in Hong Kong. It also dropped "bank or" from the definition.
- Clause 5.10: "bring proceedings" became "commence arbitration proceedings in accordance with clause 5.9", and the injunction wording matches 5.9. The cross-reference still points to the right clause.
- Left the company’s own description alone: it is still registered in England and Wales.
Again the edits went straight into the file. Below is the track-changes report on the request 1 and request 2 files, showing only what this request changed. The report on the original and the final file, at the top of the page, carries both rounds in one redline.
1. DEFINITIONS
a Business Day:
Monday to Friday (inclusive) except bank or public holidays in England and WalesHong Kong;
5. GENERAL
5.9Governing law: This Agreement is governed by, and is to be construed in accordance with, English law. The English Courts will have exclusive jurisdiction to deal with any dispute which has arisen or may arise out of, or in connection with, this Agreement, except that either party may bring proceedings for an injunction in anythe laws of Hong Kong. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) under the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules in force when the notice of arbitration is submitted. The seat of arbitration shall be Hong Kong. The tribunal shall consist of one arbitrator, unless the parties agree otherwise, and the language of the arbitration shall be English. Nothing in this clause shall prevent either party from seeking interim or injunctive relief from any court of competent jurisdiction.
5.10Escalation: If the parties are unable to reach agreement on any issue concerning this Agreement or the Project within 14 days after one party has notified the other of that issue, they will refer the matter to Professor Alan Whitcombe, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) in the case of the University, and to Dr Mei Lin Wong, Chief Technology Officer in the case of the Company in an attempt to resolve the issue within 14 days after the referral. Either party may bringcommence arbitration proceedings in accordance with clause 5.9 if the matter has not been resolved within that 14 day period, and either party may apply to the court for an injunctionseek interim or injunctive relief from any court of competent jurisdiction whether or not any issue has been escalated under this clause.
The NDA itself, marked up, not a summary of what to change
Most AI tools answer a mark-up request with suggested wording in a chat window, and someone retypes it into the agreement. works in the Word file itself, fills it from your own documents, leaves the numbering and tables alone, and its track-changes report gives the other side a redline.
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