Exhibit 10.14
VOYAGER INFORMATION NETWORKS, INC.
AGREEMENT
REGARDING INVENTIONS, CONFIDENTIALITY
AND NON-COMPETITION
Employee's Name: Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
Date: February 20, 1998
In consideration of my employment by Voyager Information Networks, Inc.
(the "Company"), I, the above-named Employee, hereby agree with the Company as
follows:
1. Definitions.
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(a) Proprietary Information. As used in this Agreement, "Proprietary
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Information" means information which the Company possesses or to which the
Company has rights which has commercial value. Proprietary Information
includes, by way of example and without limitation, trade secrets, product
ideas, designs, configurations, processes, techniques, formulas, software,
improvements, inventions, data, know-how, copyrightable materials, marketing
plans and strategies, sales and financial reports and forecasts, and customer
lists. Proprietary Information includes information developed by me in the
course of my employment by the Company or otherwise relating to Inventions which
belong to the Company under Section 4 below, as well as other information to
which I may have access in connection with my employment.
(b) Inventions and Developments. As used in this Agreement,
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"Inventions and Developments" means any and all inventions, developments,
creative works and useful ideas of any description whatsoever, whether or not
patentable. Inventions and Developments include, by way of example and without
limitation, discoveries and improvements which consist of or relate to any form
of Proprietary Information.
(c) Company-Related Inventions and Developments. For purposes of this
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Agreement, "Company-Related Inventions and Developments" means all Inventions
and Developments which either (a) relate at the time of conception or
development to the actual or demonstrably anticipated business of the Company or
to its actual or demonstrably anticipated research and development; (b) result
from or relate to any work performed for the Company, whether or not during
normal business hours; (c) are developed on Company time; or (d) are developed
through the use of the Company's Proprietary Information, equipment and
software, or other facilities or resources.
(d) Company. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the
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"Company" will be deemed to include the Company and its direct or indirect
subsidiaries and affiliates.
2. Confidentiality. I understand and agree that my employment creates a
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relationship of confidence and trust between me and the Company with respect to
(a) all Proprietary Information, and (b) the confidential information of others
with which the Company has a business relationship. The information referred to
in clauses (a) and (b) of the preceding sentence is referred to in this
Agreement, collectively, as "Confidential Information." At all times, both
during the term of my employment and after its termination, I will keep in
confidence and trust all such Confidential Information, and will not use or
disclose any such Confidential Information without the written consent of the
Company, except as may be necessary in the ordinary course of performing my
duties to the Company. The restrictions set forth in this Section 2 will not
apply to information which is generally known to the public or in the trade,
unless such knowledge results from an unauthorized disclosure by me, but this
exception will not affect the application of any other provision of this
Agreement to such information in accordance with the terms of such provision.
3. Documents, records, etc. All documents, records, apparatus, equipment
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and other physical property, whether or not pertaining to Proprietary
Information, which are furnished to me by the Company or are produced by me in
connection with my employment will be and remain the sole property of the
Company. I will return to the Company all such materials and property as and
when requested by the Company. In any event, I will return all such materials
and property immediately upon termination of my employment for any reason. I
will not take with me any such material or property or any copies thereof upon
such termination.
4. Ownership of Inventions and Developments. I agree that all Company-
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Related Inventions and Developments which I conceive or develop, in whole or in
part, either alone or jointly with others, during the term of my employment with
the Company will be the sole property of the Company. The Company will be the
sole owner of all patents, copyrights and other proprietary rights in and with
respect to such Company-Related Inventions and Developments. To the fullest
extent permitted by law, such Company-Related Inventions and Developments will
be deemed works made for hire. I hereby transfer and assign to the Company any
proprietary rights which I may have or acquire in any such Company-Related
Inventions and Developments, and I waive any moral rights or other special
rights which I may have or accrue therein. I agree to execute any documents
and take any actions that may be required to effect and confirm such transfer
and assignment and waiver. The provisions of this Section 4 will apply to all
Company-Related Inventions and Developments which are conceived or developed
during the term of my employment with the Company, whether before or after the
date of this Agreement, and whether or not further development or reduction to
practice may take place after termination of my employment, for which purpose it
will be presumed that any Company-Related Inventions and Developments conceived
by me which are reduced to practice within one year after termination of my
employment were conceived during the term of my employment with the Company
unless I am able to establish a later conception date by clear and convincing
evidence. The provisions of this Section 4 will not apply, however, to any
Inventions and Developments which may be disclosed in a separate Schedule
attached to
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this Agreement prior to its acceptance by the Company, representing Inventions
and Developments made by me prior to my employment by the Company.
5. Disclosure of Inventions and Developments. I agree promptly to
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disclose to the Company, or any persons designated by it, all Company-Related
Inventions and Developments which are or may be subject to the provisions of
Section 4.
6. Obtaining and Enforcing Proprietary Rights. I agree to assist the
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Company, at the Company's request from time to time and at the Company's
expense, to obtain and enforce patents, copyrights or other proprietary rights
with respect to Company-Related Inventions and Developments in any and all
countries. I will execute all documents reasonably necessary or appropriate for
this purpose. This obligation will survive the termination of my employment,
provided that the Company will compensate me at a reasonable rate after such
termination for time actually spent by me at the Company's request on such
assistance. In the event that the Company is unable for any reason whatsoever
to secure my signature to any document reasonably necessary or appropriate for
any of the foregoing purposes (including renewals, extensions, continuations,
divisions or continuations in part), I hereby irrevocably designate and appoint
the Company and its duly authorized officers and agents as my agents and
attorneys-in-fact to act for me and on my behalf, but only for the purpose of
executing and filing any such document and doing all other lawfully permitted
acts to accomplish the foregoing purposes with the same legal force and effect
as if executed by me.
7. Competitive Activities. During the term of my employment with the
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Company, and for a period of six (6) months thereafter, I will not, directly or
indirectly, whether
as owner, partner, shareholder, consultant, agent, employee, co-venturer or
otherwise, engage, participate or invest in any business activity anywhere in
the world which develops, manufactures or markets products or performs services
which are competitive with or similar to the products or services of the
Company, or products or services which the Company has under development or
which are the subject of active planning at any time during the term of my
employment. The prohibition set forth in this Section 7 shall not restrict me
from owning or holding up to five percent (5%) of the shares of stock of any
company registered or sold on any recognized stock exchange or sold in the over-
the-counter market. I understand that the restrictions set forth in this
Section 7 are intended to protect the Company's interest in its Proprietary
Information and established customer relationships and goodwill, and agree that
such restrictions are reasonable and appropriate for this purpose.
8. Third-Party Agreements and Rights. I hereby confirm that I am not
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bound by the terms of any agreement with any previous employer or other party
which restricts in any way my use or disclosure of information or my engagement
in any business, except as may be disclosed in a separate Schedule attached to
this Agreement prior to its acceptance by the Company. I have delivered to the
Company true and complete copies of any agreements listed on said Schedule. I
represent to the Company that my execution of this Agreement, my employment with
the Company and the performance of my proposed duties for the Company will not
violate any obligations I may have to any such previous employer or other party.
In
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my work for the Company, I will not disclose or make use of any information in
violation of any agreements with or rights of any such previous employer or
other party, and I will not bring to the premises of the Company any copies or
other tangible embodiments of non-public information belonging to or obtained
from any such previous employment or other party.
9. Injunction. I agree that it would be difficult to measure any damages
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caused to the Company which might result from any breach by me of the promises
set forth in this Agreement, and that in any event money damages would be an
inadequate remedy for any such breach. Accordingly, I agree that if I breach,
or propose to breach, any portion of this Agreement, the Company shall be
entitled, in addition to all other remedies that it may have, to an injunction
or other appropriate equitable relief to restrain any such breach without
showing or proving any actual damage to the Company.
10. Binding Effect. This Agreement will be binding upon me and my heirs,
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executors, administrators and legal representatives and will inure to the
benefit of the Company, any subsidiary of the Company, and its and their
respective successors and assigns.
11. Enforceability. If any portion or provision of this Agreement is to
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any extent declared illegal or unenforceable by a court of competent
jurisdiction, then the remainder of this Agreement, or the application of such
portion or provision in circumstances other than those as to which it is so
declared illegal or unenforceable, will not be affected thereby, and each
portion and provision of this Agreement shall be valid and enforceable to the
fullest extent permitted by law. In the event that any provision of this
Agreement is determined by any court of competent jurisdiction to be
unenforceable by reason of excessive scope as to geographic, temporal or
functional coverage, such provision will be deemed to extend only over the
maximum geographic, temporal and functional scope as to which it may be
enforceable.
12. Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement
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between the Company and myself with respect to the subject matter hereof, and
supersedes all prior representations and agreements with respect to such subject
matter. This Agreement may not be amended, modified or waived except by a
written instrument duly executed by the person against whom enforcement of such
amendment, modification or waiver is sought. The failure of any party to
require the performance of any term or obligation of this Agreement, or the
waiver by any party of any breach of this Agreement, in any particular case will
not prevent any subsequent enforcement of such term or obligation or to be
deemed a waiver of any separate or subsequent breach.
13. Notices. Any notices, requests, demands and other communications
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provided for by this Agreement will be sufficient if in writing and delivered in
person or sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, to me at the
last address which I have filed in writing with the Company or, in the case of
any notice to the Company, at its main offices, to the attention of its Chief
Executive Officer.
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14. Governing Law. This is a Michigan contract and shall be construed
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under and be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of Michigan.
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I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS AGREEMENT AFFECTS IMPORTANT RIGHTS. I HAVE READ IT
CAREFULLY AND AM SATISFIED THAT I UNDERSTAND IT COMPLETELY.
/s/ Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
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Signature of Employee
Accepted and Agreed to by
VOYAGER INFORMATION
NETWORKS, INC.
By: /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxxx
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Name: Xxxxx Xxxxxxx
Title: Chairman of the Board
Date: February 20, 1998
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