Definition of Confidential Information The term “Confidential Information” shall mean all information that either party discloses (a “Disclosing Party”) to the other party (a “Receiving Party”), whether in writing, electronically, or orally and in any form (tangible or intangible), that is confidential, proprietary, or relates to clients or shareholders (each either existing or potential). Confidential Information includes, but is not limited to:
Use of Confidential Information 7.1 Each Party may be given access to Confidential Information from the other Party in order to perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Party that receives Confidential Information shall be known as “Receiving Party”. The Party that discloses Confidential Information shall be known as “Disclosing Party”. 7.2 The Receiving Party acknowledges that the Confidential Information is received on a confidential basis, and that the Disclosing Party shall remain the exclusive owner of its Confidential Information and of Intellectual Property rights contained therein. No license or conveyance of any such rights to the Receiving Party is granted or implied under this Agreement. 7.3 The Receiving Party shall: (a) use the Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party only for purposes of complying with its obligations under this Agreement and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, shall not, directly or indirectly, deal with, use, exploit or disclose such Confidential Information or any part thereof to any person or entity or for any purpose whatsoever (or in any manner which would benefit any competitor of the Disclosing Party) except as expressly permitted hereunder or unless and until expressly authorized in writing to do so by the Disclosing Party; (b) use reasonable efforts to treat, and to cause all its officers, agents, servants, employees, professional advisors and contractors and prospective contractors to treat, as strictly confidential all Confidential Information. In no event shall such efforts be less than the degree of care and discretion as the Receiving Party exercises in protecting its own valuable confidential information. Any contractors engaged by or prospective contractors to be engaged by the Receiving Party in connection with the performance of the Services shall be required to assume obligations of secrecy equal to or greater than the obligations that the Receiving Party has assumed in this Agreement with respect to the Confidential Information; (c) not, without the prior written consent of the Disclosing Party, disclose or otherwise make available the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information or any part thereof to any party other than those of its directors, officers, agents, servants, employees, professional advisors, contractors or prospective contractors who need to know the Confidential Information for the purposes set forth herein; (d) not copy or reproduce in any manner whatsoever the Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party or any part thereof without the prior written consent of the Disclosing Party, except where required for its own internal use in accordance with this Agreement; and (e) promptly, upon termination or expiration of this Agreement, return and confirm in writing the return of all originals, copies, reproductions and summaries of Confidential Information or, or at the option of the Disclosing Party, destroy and confirm in writing the destruction of the Confidential Information (this sub- clause being applicable only on the User). 7.4 Provided, however that nothing herein shall restrict in any manner the ability of either Party to use or disclose Confidential Information owned by it in any manner whatsoever, and the obligations of confidentiality herein shall apply to each Party only to the extent that the Confidential Information or portion thereof is not owned by that particular Party.