After ending a working relationship, protecting trade secrets is an even greater challenge than before. This fact does not stem from bad German legislation, but from the clear vote of the German legal order in favour of the principle of free competition. In other words, after the termination of the employment relationship, a worker can in principle compete with his former employer and, in this regard, use the knowledge acquired during his previous employment. In this context, trade secrets are protected only by law for the period following the termination of the employment contract (see the post-contractual protection of trade secrets in the law). In order to increase the level of protection, it is necessary to consider whether it is essential to strengthen the protection of confidentiality and know-how through specific agreements between the employer and the worker, which have a binding effect, although the employment has been terminated (see the post-contractual protection of trade secrets in employment contracts). For more information on confidentiality agreements or the development of a confidentiality agreement, see below. Confidentiality or confidentiality agreements are usually signed by members of the board of directors of German companies. Confidentiality agreements are generally necessary to protect important business information that only directors and business leaders have access to. Confidentiality agreements may also include post-contractual clauses that protect the company`s interests after the conclusion of the cooperation. Confidentiality agreements are often used between companies that are considering doing business with each other and need to understand each other`s processes or data to evaluate and establish an enterprise agreement. They are also used in employer-worker relationships where workers must have access to confidential information in the course of their work, but the employer wishes to ensure that the worker does not use or deiving this information for other purposes.