PROPRIETARY INFORMATION, CONFIDENTIALITY AND INVENTIONS AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.24
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION, CONFIDENTIALITY AND INVENTIONS AGREEMENT
To: HITTITE MICROWAVE CORPORATION
00 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000 As of May 4, 2004
I, the undersigned, in consideration of and as a condition of my employment by Hittite Microwave Corporation (the “Company”), and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, hereby agree as follows:
1. CONFIDENTIALITY. I agree to keep confidential, except as the Company may otherwise consent in writing, and, as may be necessary in the ordinary course of performing my duties to the Company, not to disclose or make any use of at any time either during or subsequent to my employment, any Inventions (as hereinafter defined), trade secrets, confidential information, knowledge, data or other information of the Company relating to products, processes, know-how, designs, formulas, test data, customer lists, business plans, marketing plans and strategies, pricing strategies, or other subject matter pertaining to any business of the Company or any of its affiliates or confidential or proprietary information of any third parties subject to a duty on the part of the Company to maintain the confidentiality of such information, which I may produce, obtain, or otherwise acquire during the course of my employment, except as herein provided. I further agree not to deliver, reproduce or in any way allow any such trade secrets, confidential information, knowledge, data or other information or any documentation relating thereto, to be delivered to or used by any third parties without specific direction or consent of a duly authorized representative of the Company.
2. CONFLICTING EMPLOYMENT; RETURN OF CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL. I agree that during my employment with the Company I will not engage in any other employment, occupation, consulting or other activity relating to the business in which the Company is now or may hereafter become engaged, or which would otherwise conflict with my obligations to the Company. In the event my employment with the Company terminates for any reason whatsoever, I agree to promptly surrender and deliver to the Company all records, materials, equipment, drawings, documents and data which I may obtain or produce during the course of my employment, and I further agree that I will not take with me any description
containing or pertaining to any confidential information, knowledge or data of the Company which I may produce or obtain during the course of my employment.
3. ASSIGNMENT OF INVENTIONS.
3.1 I hereby acknowledge and agree that the Company is the owner of all Inventions (as hereinafter defined). In order to protect the Company’s rights to such Inventions, by executing this Agreement I hereby irrevocably assign to the Company all my right, title and interest in and to all Inventions.
3.2 For purposes of this Agreement, “Inventions” shall mean all discoveries, processes, designs, technologies, devices, or improvements in any of the foregoing or other ideas, whether or not patentable and whether or not reduced to practice, made or conceived by me (whether solely or jointly with others) during the period of my employment with the Company which relate in any manner to the actual or demonstrably anticipated business, work, or research and development of the Company, or result from or are suggested by any tasks assigned to me or any work performed by me for or on behalf of the Company.
3.3 Any discovery, process, design, technology, device, or improvement in any of the foregoing or other ideas, whether or not patentable and whether or not reduced to practice, made or conceived by me (whether solely or jointly with others) which I develop entirely on my own time not using any of the Company’s equipment, supplies, facilities, or trade secret information (“Personal Invention”) is excluded from this Agreement provided such Personal Invention (a) does not relate to the actual or demonstrably anticipated business, research and development of the Company; and (b) does not result, directly or indirectly, from any work performed by me for the Company.
4. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTIONS. I agree that in connection with any Invention, I will promptly disclose such Invention to my immediate superior at the Company in order to permit the Company to enforce its property rights to such Invention in accordance with this Agreement. My disclosure shall be received in confidence by the Company.
5. PATENTS AND COPYRIGHTS: EXECUTION OF DOCUMENTS.
5.1 Upon request, I agree to assist the Company or its nominee (at its expense) during and at any time subsequent to my employment in every reasonable way to obtain for its own benefit patents and copyrights for Inventions in any and all countries. Such patents and copyrights shall be and remain the sole and exclusive property of the Company or its nominee. I agree to perform such lawful acts as the Company deems to be necessary to allow it to exercise all right, title and interest in and to such patents and copyrights.
5.2 In connection with this Agreement, I agree to execute, acknowledge
2
and deliver to the Company or its nominee upon request and at its expense all documents, including assignments of title, patent or copyright applications, assignments of such applications, assignments of patents or copyrights upon issuance, as the Company may determine necessary or desirable to protect the Company’s or its nominee’s interest in Inventions, and/or to use in obtaining patents or copyrights in any and all countries and to vest title thereto in the Company or its nominee to any of the foregoing.
6. MAINTENANCE OF RECORDS. I agree to keep and maintain adequate and current written records of all Inventions made by me (in the form of notes, sketches, drawings and other records as may be specified by the Company), which records shall be available to and remain the sole property of the Company at all times.
7. PRIOR INVENTIONS. It is understood that all Personal Inventions, if any, whether patented or unpatented, which I made prior to my employment by the Company, are excluded from this Agreement. To preclude any possible uncertainty, I have set forth on Schedule A attached hereto a complete list of all of my prior Personal Inventions, including numbers of all patents and patent applications and a brief description of all unpatented Personal Inventions which are not the property of a previous employer. I represent and covenant that the list is complete and that, if no items are on the list, I have no such prior Personal Inventions. I agree to notify the Company in writing before I make any disclosure or perform any work on behalf of the Company which appears to threaten or conflict with proprietary rights I claim in any Personal Invention. In the event of my failure to give such notice, I agree that I will make no claim against the Company with respect to any such Personal Invention.
8. OTHER OBLIGATIONS. I acknowledge that the Company from time to time may have agreements with other persons or with the U.S. Government or agencies thereof, which impose obligations or restrictions on the Company regarding Inventions made during the course of work thereunder or regarding the confidential nature of such work. I agree to be bound by all such obligations and restrictions and to take all action necessary to discharge the Company’s obligations.
9. TRADE SECRETS OF OTHERS. I represent that my performance of all the terms of this Agreement and as an employee of the Company does not and will not breach any agreement to keep confidential proprietary information, knowledge or data acquired by me in confidence or in trust prior to my employment with the Company or any other agreement with any previous employer or other party, and I will not disclose to the Company, or induce the Company to use, any confidential or proprietary information or material belonging to any previous employer or others. I agree not to enter into any agreement either written or oral in conflict herewith.
3
10. Without limiting the remedies available to the Company, I acknowledge that a breach of any of the terms of this Agreement could result in irreparable injury to the Company for which there might be no adequate remedy at law and that, in the event of such a breach or threat thereof, the Company shall be entitled to obtain a temporary restraining order and/or a preliminary injunction and a permanent injunction restraining me from engaging in any activities prohibited by this Agreement or such other equitable relief as may be required to enforce specifically any of the covenants of this Agreement.
11. MODIFICATION. I agree that any subsequent change or changes in my employment duties, salary or compensation or, if applicable, in any Employment Agreement between the Company and me, shall not affect the validity or scope of this Agreement.
12. SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS. This Agreement shall be binding upon my heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives and is for the benefit of the Company, its successors and assigns.
13. INTERPRETATION. IT IS THE INTENT OF THE PARTIES THAT in case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement shall, for any reason, be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect the other provisions of this Agreement, and this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein. MOREOVER, IT IS THE INTENT OF THE PARTIES THAT in case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement shall for any reason be held to be excessively broad as to
duration, geographical scope, activity or subject, such provision shall be construed by dating and reducing it in accordance with a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, so as to be enforceable to the extent compatible with applicable law.
14. WAIVERS. If either party should waive any breach of any provision of this Agreement, he or it shall not thereby be deemed to have waived any preceding or succeeding breach of the same or any other provision of this Agreement.
15. COMPLETE AGREEMENT, AMENDMENTS. I acknowledge receipt of this Agreement, and agree that with respect to the subject matter thereof it is my entire agreement with the Company, superseding any previous oral or written communications, representations, understandings, or agreements with the Company or any officer or representative thereof. I understand and acknowledge that this Agreement is an agreement of proprietary information, confidentiality and inventions, and that this is not a contract for any term of employment and does not modify the at-will status of the employment relationship. I further acknowledge that this Agreement creates no contractual terms of employment other than those specifically enumerated herein. Any amendment to this Agreement or waiver by either party of any right hereunder shall be effective only if
4
evidenced by a written instrument executed by the parties hereto, and, in the case of the Company, upon written authorization of the Company’s Board of Directors.
16. HEADINGS. The headings of the sections hereof are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute a part hereof nor to affect the meaning thereof.
17. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be signed in two counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and both of which shall together constitute one agreement.
18. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed and construed under Massachusetts Law.
|
EMPLOYEE |
|||
|
|
|||
|
/s/ XXXXX XXXXXXXXX |
|
||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Accepted and Agreed: |
|||
|
|
|||
|
HITTITE MICROWAVE CORPORATION |
|||
|
|
|||
|
By: |
/s/ XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX |
|
|
|
|
Duly Authorized |
||
5