CONSULTING AGREEMENT
Effective April 2, 2024 (the “Effective Date”), Xxxxxxxx X’Xxxxx (“Consultant”) and MEDICINOVA, INC. (“Company”) agree as follows:
1.
Services; Payment; No Violation of Rights or Obligations. Consultant agrees to undertake and complete the Services (as defined in Exhibit A) in accordance with and on the schedule specified in Exhibit A. As the only consideration due to Consultant regarding the subject matter of this Agreement, Company will pay Consultant as (and only as) expressly stated in Exhibit A. Unless otherwise specifically agreed upon by Company in writing (and notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement), all activity relating to Services will be performed by and only by Consultant. Consultant agrees that it will not (and will not permit others to) violate any agreement with or rights of any third party or, except as expressly authorized by Company in writing hereafter, use or disclose at any time Consultant’s own or any third party’s confidential information or intellectual property in connection with the Services or otherwise for or on behalf of Company.
2.
Ownership; Rights; Proprietary Information; Publicity.
a.
Company shall own all right, title and interest (including patent rights, copyrights, trade secret rights, mask work rights, trademark rights, sui generis database rights and all other intellectual property rights of any sort throughout the world) relating to any and all inventions (whether or not patentable), works of authorship, mask works, designations, designs, know-how, ideas and information made or conceived or reduced to practice, in whole or in part, by or for or on behalf of Consultant in connection with the Services or any Proprietary Information (as defined below) (collectively, “Inventions”) and Consultant will promptly disclose and provide all Inventions to Company. Consultant hereby makes all assignments necessary to accomplish the foregoing ownership; provided that no assignment is made that extends beyond what would be allowed under California Labor Code Section 2870 (attached as Exhibit B) if Consultant was an employee of Company. Consultant shall assist Company, at Company’s expense, to further evidence, record and perfect such assignments, and to perfect, obtain, maintain, enforce and defend any rights assigned. Consultant hereby irrevocably designates and appoints Company as its agents and attorneys-in-fact, coupled with an interest, to act for and on Consultant’s behalf to execute and file any document and to do all other lawfully permitted acts to further the foregoing with the same legal force and effect as if executed by Consultant and all other creators or owners of the applicable Invention.
b.
Consultant agrees that all Inventions and all other business, technical and financial information (including, without limitation, the identity of and information relating to customers or employees) developed, learned or obtained by or for or on behalf of Consultant during the period that Consultant is to be providing the Services that relate to Company or the business or demonstrably anticipated business of Company or in connection with the Services or that are received by or for Company in confidence, constitute “Proprietary Information.” Consultant shall hold in confidence and not disclose or, except in performing the Services, use any Proprietary Information. However, Consultant shall not be obligated under this paragraph with respect to information Consultant can document is or becomes readily publicly available without restriction through no fault of Consultant. Upon termination or as otherwise requested by Company, Consultant will promptly provide to Company all items and copies containing or embodying Proprietary Information, except that Consultant may keep its personal copies of its compensation records and this Agreement. Consultant also recognizes and agrees that Consultant has no expectation of privacy with respect to Company’s telecommunications, networking or information processing systems (including, without limitation, stored computer files, email messages and voice messages) and that Consultant’s activity, and any files or messages, on or using any of those systems may be monitored at any time without notice.
c.
As additional protection for Proprietary Information, Consultant agrees that during the period over which it is to be providing the Services Consultant will not directly or indirectly encourage or solicit any employee or consultant of Company to leave Company for any reason.
d.
To the extent allowed by law, Section 2.a and any license granted Company hereunder includes all rights of paternity, integrity, disclosure and withdrawal and any other rights that may be known as or referred to as “moral rights,” “artist’s rights,” “droit moral,” or the like. To the extent any of the foregoing is ineffective under applicable law, Consultant hereby provides any and all ratifications and consents necessary to accomplish the purposes of the foregoing to the extent possible. Consultant will confirm any such ratifications and consents from time to time as requested by Company. If any other person is in any way involved in any Services, Consultant will obtain the foregoing ratifications, consents and authorizations from such person for Company’s exclusive benefit.
e.
If any part of the Services or Inventions or information provided hereunder is based on, incorporates, or is an improvement or derivative of, or cannot be reasonably and fully made, used, reproduced, distributed and otherwise exploited without using or violating technology or intellectual property rights owned by or licensed to Consultant (or any person involved in the Services) and not assigned hereunder, Consultant hereby grants Company and its successors a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide royalty-free, non-exclusive, sublicensable right and license to exploit and exercise all such technology and intellectual property rights in support of Company’s exercise or exploitation of the Services, Inventions, other work or information performed or provided hereunder, or any assigned rights (including any modifications, improvements and derivatives of any of them).
3.
Warranties and Other Obligations. Consultant represents, warrants and covenants that: (i) the Services will be performed in a professional and workmanlike manner and that none of such Services nor any part of this Agreement is or will be inconsistent with any obligation Consultant may have to others; (ii) all work under this Agreement shall be Consultant’s original work and none of the Services or Inventions nor any development, use, production, distribution or exploitation thereof will infringe, misappropriate or violate any intellectual property or other right of any person or entity (including, without limitation, Consultant); (iii) Consultant has the full right to allow it to provide Company with the assignments and rights provided for herein (and has written enforceable agreements with all persons necessary to give it the rights to do the foregoing and otherwise fully perform this Agreement; (iv) Consultant shall comply with all applicable laws and Company safety rules in the course of performing the Services; and (v) if Consultant’s work requires a license, Consultant has obtained that license and the license is in full force and effect.
4.
Termination. Either party may terminate this Agreement at any time, for any reason, by giving the other party 10 days’ notice. Sections 2 (subject to the limitations set forth in Section 2.c) through 9 of this Agreement and any remedies for breach of this Agreement shall survive any termination or expiration. Company may communicate the obligations contained in this Agreement to any other (or potential) client or employer of Consultant.
5.
Relationship of the Parties; Independent Contractor; No Employee Benefits. Consultant is an independent contractor (not an employee or other agent) solely responsible for the manner and hours in which the Services are performed, is solely responsible for all taxes, withholdings and other statutory, regulatory or contractual obligations of any sort (including, but not limited to, those relating to workers’ compensation, disability insurance, Social Security, unemployment compensation coverage, the Fair Labor Standards Act, income taxes, etc.), and is not entitled to participate in any employee benefit plans, fringe benefit programs, group insurance arrangements or similar programs of Company. Consultant will ensure that its employees, contractors and others involved in the Services, if any, are bound in writing to the foregoing, and to all of Consultant’s obligations under any provision of this Agreement, for Company’s benefit and Consultant will be responsible for any noncompliance by them.
6.
Assignment. This Agreement and the services contemplated hereunder are personal to Consultant and Consultant shall not have the right or ability to assign, transfer or subcontract any rights or obligations under this Agreement without the written consent of Company. Any attempt to do so shall be void. Company may fully assign and transfer this Agreement in whole or part.
7.
Notice. All notices under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed given (a) when personally delivered, (b) when sent by electronic mail to the address set forth below on Consultant’s signature page hereto, as updated from time to time by notice to the Company or (c) when delivery is confirmed electronically with a tracking number by prepaid certified or registered U.S. mail to the address of the party to be noticed as set forth herein or to such other address as such party last provided to the other by written notice.
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8.
Miscellaneous. Any breach of Section 2 or 3 will cause irreparable harm to Company for which damages would not be an adequate remedy, and therefore, Company will be entitled to injunctive relief with respect thereto in addition to any other remedies. The failure of either party to enforce its rights under this Agreement at any time for any period shall not be construed as a waiver of such rights. Other than that certain Indemnity Agreement by and between the Company and Consultant dated October 15, 2013, this Agreement represents the entire understanding between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof to the exclusion of all other terms and conditions, and no changes, additions, modifications or waivers to this Agreement will be effective unless in writing and signed by both parties. In the event that any provision of this Agreement shall be determined to be illegal or unenforceable, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that this Agreement shall otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California without regard to the conflicts of laws provisions thereof. Headings herein are for convenience of reference only and shall in no way affect interpretation of the Agreement.
9.
Arbitration. Any controversy or claim (except those regarding Inventions, Proprietary Information or intellEx-10.1ectual property) arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or the breach thereof, shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof, provided however, that each party will have a right to seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of law. The prevailing party will be that party who may be fairly said by the arbitrator(s) to have prevailed on the major disputed issues. Consultant hereby consents to the arbitration in the State of California in the county of San Diego.
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NOTICE: This agreement does not affect any immunity under 18 USC Sections 1833(b) (1) or (2), which read as follows (note that for purposes of this statute only, individuals performing work as contractors or consultants are considered to be employees):
(1)
An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that (A) is made (i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal.
(2)
An individual who files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if the individual (A) files any document containing the trade secret under seal; and (B) does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.
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EXHIBIT A
SERVICES The Consultant shall perform the following services for the Company:
Services to be mutually agreed upon by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Consultant from time to time.
FEES/EXPENSES
Company shall pay Consultant at a rate of $800.00 per hour, payable monthly in arrears.
OPTIONS
Xxxxxxxx X’Xxxxx (you) was granted one or more stock options (each, an “Option”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Common Stock”) under the Company’s 2013 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2013 Plan”) and the Company’s 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”). For the avoidance of doubt, (i) pursuant to the applicable notice of stock option grants and stock option agreements (collectively, the “Stock Option Agreements”) between you and the Company, any shares subject to your Options that are vested and exercisable as of the Effective Date of this Agreement shall remain exercisable at any time until the date three months after the termination of this Agreement (and such shares to the extent unexercised will expire on such date) and (ii) any shares subject to your Options that were not vested and exercisable as of the Effective Date of this Agreement were forfeited and cancelled as of the Effective Date.
INDEMNIFICATION
For the avoidance of doubt, that certain Indemnity Agreement by and between the Company and Consultant dated October 15, 2013 shall remain in effect until this Agreement is terminated.
EXHIBIT B
California Labor Code Section 2870. Application of provision providing that employee shall assign or offer to assign rights in invention to employer.
(a)
Any provision in an employment agreement which provides that an employee shall assign, or offer to assign, any of his or her rights in an invention to his or her employer shall not apply to an invention that the employee developed entirely on his or her own time without using the employer’s equipment, supplies, facilities, or trade secret information except for those inventions that either:
(1)
Relate at the time of conception or reduction to practice of the invention to the employer’s business, or actual or demonstrably anticipated research or development of the employer; or
(2)
Result from any work performed by the employee for his employer.
(b)
To the extent a provision in an employment agreement purports to require an employee to assign an invention otherwise excluded from being required to be assigned under subdivision (a), the provision is against the public policy of this state and is unenforceable.
