Company Creation and Use of Confidential Information The Executive understands and acknowledges that the Company has invested, and continues to invest, substantial time, money and specialized knowledge into developing its resources, creating a customer base, generating customer and potential customer lists, training its employees, and improving its product offerings in the field of financial services. The Executive understands and acknowledges that as a result of these efforts, the Company has created, and continues to use and create Confidential Information. This Confidential Information provides the Company with a competitive advantage over others in the marketplace.
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.
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:
Access to Confidential Information Each party acknowledges that the other party, its employees or agents, may be given access to Confidential Information relating to the other parties' business or the operation of this Agreement or any negotiations relating to this Agreement.
Protection of Confidential Information The Servicer shall keep confidential and shall not divulge to any party, without the Seller’s prior written consent, any nonpublic information pertaining to the Mortgage Loans or any borrower thereunder, except to the extent that it is appropriate for the Servicer to do so in working with legal counsel, auditors, taxing authorities or other governmental agencies or it is otherwise in accordance with Accepted Servicing Practices.
Release of Confidential Information No Party shall release or disclose Confidential Information to any other person, except to its Affiliates (limited by FERC Standards of Conduct requirements), subcontractors, employees, consultants, or to parties who may be considering providing financing to or equity participation with Developer, or to potential purchasers or assignees of a Party, on a need-to-know basis in connection with this Agreement, unless such person has first been advised of the confidentiality provisions of this Article 22 and has agreed to comply with such provisions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Party providing Confidential Information to any person shall remain primarily responsible for any release of Confidential Information in contravention of this Article 22.
Proprietary Information and Confidentiality Both before and during the term of Executive’s employment, Executive will have access to and become acquainted with Company confidential and proprietary information (together “Proprietary Information”), including but not limited to information or plans concerning the Company’s products and technologies; customer relationships; personnel; sales, marketing and financial operations and methods; trade secrets; formulae and secret developments and inventions; processes; and other compilations of information, records, and specifications. Executive will not disclose any of the Proprietary Information directly or indirectly, or use it in any way, either during his/her employment pursuant to this Agreement or at any time thereafter, except as reasonably required or specifically requested in the course of his/her employment with the Company or as authorized in writing by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Proprietary Information does not include information that is otherwise publicly known or available, provided it has not become public as a result of a breach of this Agreement or any other agreement Executive has to keep information confidential. It is not a breach of this Agreement for Executive to disclose Proprietary Information (i) pursuant to an order of a court or other governmental or legal body or (ii) in connection with Protected Activity (as defined below). Executive understands that nothing in this Agreement shall in any way limit or prohibit Executive from engaging in any Protected Activity. For purposes of this Agreement, “Protected Activity” means filing a charge or complaint with, or otherwise communicating or cooperating with or participating in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by any federal, state or local government agency or commission, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Labor Relations Board (“Government Agencies”). Executive understands that in connection with such Protected Activity, Executive is permitted to disclose documents or other information as permitted by law, and without giving notice to, or receiving authorization from, the Company. Notwithstanding, in making any such disclosures or communications, Executive agrees to take all reasonable precautions to prevent any unauthorized use or disclosure of any information that may constitute Proprietary Information to any parties other than the Government Agencies. Executive further understands that “Protected Activity” does not include the disclosure of any Company attorney-client privileged communications. In addition, Executive hereby acknowledges that the Company has provided Executive with notice in compliance with the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 regarding immunity from liability for limited disclosures of trade secrets. The full text of the notice is attached in Exhibit B.
Restricted Use of Confidential Information (a) Each Receiving Party acknowledges the confidential and proprietary nature of the Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party and agrees that such Confidential Information (i) shall be kept confidential by the Receiving Party; (ii) shall not be used for any reason or purpose other than to evaluate and consummate the Contemplated Transactions; and (iii) without limiting the foregoing, shall not be disclosed by the Receiving Party to any Person, except in each case as otherwise expressly permitted by the terms of this Agreement or with the prior written consent of an authorized representative of Seller with respect to Confidential Information of Seller(each, a "Seller Contact") or an authorized representative of Buyer with respect to Confidential Information of Buyer (each, a "Buyer Contact"). Each of Buyer and Seller shall disclose the Confidential Information of the other party only to its Representatives who require such material for the purpose of evaluating the transactions contemplated herein and are informed by Buyer or Seller, as the case may be, of the obligations of this Article 12 with respect to such information. Each of Buyer and Seller shall (iv) enforce the terms of this Article 12 as to its respective representatives; (v) take such action to the extent necessary to cause its representatives to comply with the terms and conditions of this Article 12; and (vi) be responsible and liable for any breach of the provisions of this Article 12 by it or its representatives.
(b) Unless and until this Agreement is terminated, Seller shall maintain as confidential any Confidential Information (including for this purpose any information of Seller of the type referred to in Sections 12.l(a)(i), (ii) and (iii), whether or not disclosed to Buyer) of the Seller or Shareholders relating to any of the Assets or the Assumed Liabilities.
(c) From and after the Closing, the provisions of Section 12.2(a) above shall not apply to or restrict in any manner Buyer's use of any Confidential Information of the Seller relating to any of the Assets or the Assumed Liabilities.
Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Confidential Information Executive agrees that Executive shall not, directly or indirectly, use any Confidential Information on Executive’s own behalf or on behalf of any Person other than Employer, or reveal, divulge, or disclose any Confidential Information to any Person not expressly authorized by Employer to receive such Confidential Information. This obligation shall remain in effect for as long as the information or materials in question retain their status as Confidential Information. Executive further agrees to fully cooperate with Employer in maintaining the Confidential Information to the extent permitted by law. The Parties acknowledge and agree that this Agreement is not intended to, and does not, alter either Employer’s rights or Executive’s obligations under any state or federal statutory or common law regarding trade secrets and unfair trade practices. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, Executive shall not be restricted from disclosing information that is required to be disclosed by law, court order, or other valid and appropriate legal process; provided, however, that in the event such disclosure is required by law, Executive shall provide Employer with prompt notice of such requirement so that Employer may seek an appropriate protective order prior to any such required disclosure by Executive. Executive understands and acknowledges that nothing in this section limits Executive’s ability to report possible violations of federal, state, or local law or regulation to any governmental agency or entity; to communicate with any government agencies or otherwise participate in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by any government agencies in connection with any charge or complaint, whether filed by Executive, on Executive’s behalf, or by any other individual; or to make other disclosures that are protected under the whistleblower provisions of federal, state, or local law or regulation, and Executive shall not need the prior authorization of Employer to make any such reports or disclosures and shall not be required to notify Employer that Executive has made such reports or disclosures. In addition, and anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, Executive is hereby given notice that Executive shall not be criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for disclosing a trade secret (as defined by 18 U.S.C. § 1839) in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney, in either event solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or disclosing a trade secret (as defined by 18 U.S.C. § 1839) in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal.
Exclusions from Confidential Information Receiving Party's obligations under this Agreement do not extend to information that is: (a) publicly known at the time of disclosure or subsequently becomes publicly known through no fault of the Receiving Party; (b) discovered or created by the Receiving Party before disclosure by Disclosing Party; (c) learned by the Receiving Party through legitimate means other than from the Disclosing Party or Disclosing Party's representatives; or (d) is disclosed by Receiving Party with Disclosing Party's prior written approval.
