Confidential Information and Trade Secrets The Participant and the Company agree that certain materials, including, but not limited to, information, data and other materials relating to customers, development programs, costs, marketing, trading, investment, sales activities, promotion, credit and financial data, manufacturing processes, financing methods, plans or the business and affairs of the Company and its Affiliates, constitute proprietary confidential information and trade secrets. Accordingly, the Participant will not at any time during or after the Participant’s employment with the Company (including any Affiliate) disclose or use for such Participant’s own benefit or purposes or the benefit or purposes of any other person, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, corporation or other business organization, entity or enterprise other than the Company and any of its Affiliates, any proprietary confidential information or trade secrets, provided that the foregoing shall not apply to information which is not unique to the Company or any of its Affiliates or which is generally known to the industry or the public other than as a result of such Participant’s breach of this covenant. The Participant agrees that upon termination of employment with the Company (including any Affiliate) for any reason, the Participant will immediately return to the Company all memoranda, books, papers, plans, information, letters and other data, and all copies thereof or therefrom, which in any way relate to the business of the Company and its Affiliates, except that the Participant may retain personal notes, notebooks and diaries. The Participant further agrees that the Participant will not retain or use for the Participant’s own account at any time any trade names, trademark or other proprietary business designation used or owned in connection with the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, this Agreement shall not prohibit disclosure of proprietary confidential information if (i) it is required by law or by a court of competent jurisdiction or (ii) it is in connection with any judicial, arbitration, dispute resolution or other legal proceeding in which your legal rights and obligations as an employee or under this Agreement are at issue; provided, however, that you shall, to the extent practicable and lawful in any such event, give prior notice to the Company of your intent to disclose proprietary confidential information so as to allow the Company an opportunity (which you shall not oppose) to obtain such protective orders or similar relief with respect thereto as may be deemed appropriate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement is intended to restrict, prohibit, impede or interfere with the Participant providing information to, or from reporting possible violations of law or regulation to, any governmental agency or entity, from participating in investigations, testifying in proceedings regarding the Company’s past or future conduct, or from making other disclosures that are protected under state or federal law or regulation, engaging in any future activities protected under statutes administered by any government agency (including but not limited, to the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Congress, and any agency Inspector General), or from receiving and retaining a monetary award from a government-administered whistleblower award program for providing information directly to a government-administered whistleblower award program. The Participant does not need the prior authorization of the Company to make such reports or disclosures. The Participant is not required to notify the Company that he or she has made any such reports or disclosures. The Company nonetheless asserts, and does not waive, its attorney-client privilege over any information appropriately protected by the privilege.
