EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
Exhibit
10.2
In
accordance with the applicable laws and regulations of the People's Republic of
China ("China" or "PRC"), Weifang Changda Fertiliser
Co., Ltd., a company established and registered in Binhai Economic Development
Zone, Weifang, Shandong Province in accordance with PRC law ("Company")
and Zhu QingRan,
ID No. 370702196109220317 (the
"Employee"), a citizen and resident of PRC, as of this 8th day of December, 2008
have reached the following agreement regarding the Employee's employment with
the Company.
1. EMPLOYMENT.
Employee's employment under this Agreement shall commence on 8 December
2008 (the "Effective Date") and shall continue in effect until the date
immediately before the third anniversary of the Effective Date, unless earlier
terminated in accordance with Section 8 of this
Agreement. Thereafter, this Agreement shall be automatically extended and shall
continue in full force and effect for successive three year periods, subject to
the termination provisions of Section 8 of this
Agreement, unless either party gives written notice to the other party at least
thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of such period that such party elects
not to extend the term. The initial term of this Agreement and each successive
extension period shall be referred to as the "Term" of this
Agreement.
2. POSITION AND DUTIES.
During Employee's employment under this Agreement, Employee will have the
following position, duties and responsibilities, including participation in the
planning or implementing of any project, program or venture referred to in Section
6:
(a)Position with the Company.
Employee will serve as General Manager of the
Company and
Executive Director of the Group Companies and will perform such duties
and responsibilities of an Employee nature or a similar nature as the Company
and its parent companies, subsidiaries and other affiliates (the "Group
Companies") may assign to him/her from time to time. The place(s) of Employee's
work will be Weifang, Shandong Province, PRC and he is expected to travel on
business from time to time.
(b)Work Hours. Employee
shall work five (5) days per week from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday and
for not more than forty (40) hours per week (excluding lunchtime). Employee is
expected to work overtime upon the request of any Group Company and is generally
not eligible for overtime compensation. Employee is entitled to paid leave,
including annual leave, sick leave, etc., in accordance with the relevant PRC
employment laws and regulations.
(c) Performance of Duties and
Responsibilities. Employee will serve the Group Companies faithfully and
to the best of Employee's ability and will devote Employee's full working time,
attention and best efforts to the business of the Group Companies. Employee will
follow the applicable policies and procedures legally adopted by the Group
Companies from time to time (collectively the "Rules", as such Rules may be
amended from time to time). Employee will not engage in other employment or
other business activity, except as approved in writing by the Company. Employee
hereby represents and confirms that Employee is under no contractual or legal
commitments that would prevent him/her
from fulfilling Employee's duties and responsibilities as set forth in this
Agreement.
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3. COMPENSATION.
During Employee's employment under this Agreement, Employee
will be provided with the following compensation and benefits:
(a) Base
Salary. The Company will pay to Employee for services provided hereunder a
gross,
annual base salary in
RIVIB equivalent to $120,000 USD (i.e., before any applicable
withholding
individual income tax and individual social security contributions), which
base
salary will be paid in accordance with the Group Companies' normal payroll
policies and
procedures, and which shall be subject to adjustment if Employee has not worked
a complete
year for any particular year. The Company and the Remuneration Committee of
Changda
International Limited, being the holding company of the Company, will review
Employee's
performance on an annual basis and determine any adjustments to Employee's
base
salary in its sole discretion, but there is no guarantee that any upward
adjustment will be made
after the review.
(b) Bonus.
Employee may be entitled to a yearly incentive bonus at the discretion ofthe
Company
as shall be notified to Employee by the Company separately, based on the
performance
of the Group Companies, performance of the Company, performance of Employee's
work unit and performance of Employee him/herself throughout the twelve
month
period prior to the date on which discretionary yearly incentive bonus payments
may be
made. However, the amount of payment of an incentive bonus in any year(s)
will not
guarantee the payment of an incentive bonus, or an incentive bonus at a certain
level, in
any subsequent year(s). Employee acknowledges and accepts that the payment
of any
incentive bonus is discretionary and that Employee does not have any
contractual
right to receive an incentive bonus. Employee further acknowledges that
the
Company has not made any representation or guarantee that any incentive bonus
will be
payable in any particular year.
(c)
Employee Benefits. Employee will be entitled to participate in all employee
benefit plans and
programs available to employees of the Company in China and to the extent that
Employee
meets the eligibility requirements for each such individual plan or program.
Employee's participation in any plan or program will be subject to the
provisions, rules,
and regulations of or applicable to, the plan or program and any applicable law.
In accordance
with applicable laws and regulations in the PRC, the Company shall pay for the
requisite
social security, welfare and benefits of Employee including: pension fund,
job-related
injury insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, public housing
fund and
other related benefits. Employee's required contribution to the aforementioned
funds and
insurance policies will be withheld by the Company. In accordance with the
applicable
PRC tax laws and regulations, the Company shall withhold (in the name of
Employee)
Employee's individual PRC income tax from the compensation to be paid to
Employee
hereunder.
(d)
Business Expenses. The Company will reimburse Employee for all reasonable and
necessary, properly documented, out-of-pocket business, travel, and
entertainment expenses incurred by Employee in the performance of Employee’s
duties and responsibilities to the Group Companies, subject to normal policies
and procedures of the Group Companies, including with respect to expense
verification and documentation.
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4. TRAINING.
The Company may provide Employee with training in relation to Employee’s
position and duties from time to time. Employee is required to attend all
trainings necessary for performing his/her duties and responsibilities to the
Group Companies. In the event that Employee agrees to participate in any special
training programs provided by or at the expense of the Company, including but
not limited to any overseas training, the Company and Employee may enter into a
supplemental agreement, pursuant to which Employee agrees to be employed by the
Company for certain term and to reimburse the Company for the costs incurred by
the Company in providing such training if Employee voluntarily terminates
his/her employment or is terminated “for cause” as described in Section 8(b)
below before the expiry of such term. The terms of such a supplemental agreement
shall be agreed upon by the Company and Employee at the appropriate
time.
5. CONFIDENTIALITY
AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. With respect to confidentiality and
intellectual property matters, Employee and the Company agree to sign a separate
Confidentiality Agreement in the form of Appendix A attached
hereto. Employee and the Company agree and acknowledge that Appendix A shall be
in integral part of and have the same validity as this Agreement.
6. VENTURES.
If, during Employee’s employment with the Company, Employee participates
in the planning or implementing of any project, program, or venture involving
any Group Companies, such participation shall form part of the discharge of his
duties and responsibilities under Section 2(a) and all
rights in such project, program, or venture belong to any Group Companies.
Except as approved in writing by a Group Company, Employee will not be entitled
to any interest in any such project, program, or venture or to any commission,
finder’s fee, or any compensation other than provided in Section 3. Employee
will have no interest, direct or indirect, in any customer or supplier that
conducts business with any Group Companies.
7. NON-COMPETITION AND
NON-SOLICITATION COVENANTS.
(a) Agreement Not to Compete.
During Employee’s employment with the Company and for a period of two
years from and after the termination or expiration of Employee’s employment,
regardless of whether such termination is with or without cause and whether such
termination or expiration is at the instance of Employee or the Company,
Employee will not, directly or indirectly, in any manner or capacity, become
employed by, participate in (as director, stockholder, officer, partner, lender,
proprietor or venturer) or render services (including research or consulting
services), advice or assistance in the PRC (including Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region, Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan) and any
other location in which Employee has performed service on behalf of the Group
Companies in the twelve (12) months preceding Employee’s last day of employment
with the Company, to any entity, person or organization whose business is
in
competition with that of any Group Companies, including but not limited to the
businesses of developing, producing and selling fertilizer products (each, a
“Prohibited Activity”). For purposes of determining whether a position would
constitute a Prohibited Activity hereunder, Employee may not become employed by
any entity that derives any portion of its revenues from such industries.
Ownership by Employee, as a passive investment, of less than 1% of the
outstanding shares of capital stock of any corporation listed on a national
securities exchange or publicly traded in an over-the-counter market shall not
constitute a breach of this Section
7(a).
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(b) During
Employee’s employment with the Company and for a period of two years from and
after the termination of Employee’s employment, regardless of whether such
termination is with or without cause and whether such termination is at the
instance of Employee or the Company, Employee will not hire or offer to hire or
entice away or in any other manner persuade or attempt to persuade, either in an
individual capacity or as agent for another, any Group Company's’ officers,
employees or agents to discontinue their relationship with any Group Company or
divert or attempt to divert from any Group Companies any business whatsoever by
influencing or attempting to influence any supplier, customer or client of any
Group Company.
(c)No Adequate Remedy at Law.
Employee hereby acknowledges that the provisions of this Section 7 are
reasonable and necessary to protect the legitimate interests of the Group
Companies and that any violation of this Section 7 by Employee
will cause substantial and irreparable harm to the Group Companies to such an
extent that monetary damages alone would be an inadequate remedy therefor.
Accordingly, in the event of any actual or threatened breach of any such
provisions, the Group Companies will, in addition to any other remedies it may
have, be entitled to injunctive and other equitable relief to enforce such
provisions.
(d)Compensation and Company
Waiver Right. Upon the termination of Employee’s employment in accordance
with this Agreement, the Company agrees to pay to Employee on a monthly basis
the compensation equivalent to 50% of Employee’s average monthly regular salary
in the twelve (12) months preceding Employee’s last day of employment with the
Company for his/her undertaking of the covenants set forth in Sections 7(a) and
7(b),
unless the Company expressly waives in writing its right subsequently to
seek enforcement of such covenants, in which case the Company has no obligation
to pay to Employee any such compensation as provided in this Section 7(d) and
Employee has no obligation to undertake his/her covenants set forth in Sections 7(a) and
7(b).
(e) Severability. If the
duration of, the scope of, or any business activity covered by, or any other
parts of this Section
7 is held to be invalid or unenforceable, then such part shall (so far as
it is invalid or unenforceable) be given no effect and shall be deemed not to be
included in this Agreement but without invalidating any of the remaining parts
of this Section 7.
Employee hereby acknowledges that this Section 7 will be
construed so that its provisions are valid and enforceable to the maximum
extent, not exceeding its express terms, possible under applicable
law.
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8. TERMINATION OF
EMPLOYMENT.
(a) The
Company may terminate this Agreement upon thirty (30) days' written notice to
Employee under one or more of the following circumstances, and the Company shall
pay Employee severance or economic compensation for termination based on one or
more of these circumstances under applicable PRC laws and
regulations:
1)
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Employee
is unable, due to a non-job-related illness or injury, even after medical
treatment thereof, to perform Employee's original duties or the duties of
a new position assigned by the Company or any Group
Companies;
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2)
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Employee
is not capable, after training, of performing his/her original duties or
the duties of a new position assigned by the Company or any Group
Companies; or
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3)
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The
circumstances under which this Agreement is executed have changed
substantially so that it is not feasible to continue to perform this
Agreement as originally intended and, after consultations, the Company and
Employee fail to reach an agreement to amend this
Agreement;
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4)
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Any
other reason permissible under any applicable PRC laws and
regulations.
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(b) The
Company shall not dismiss Employee pursuant to Article 8(a), if:
1)
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Employee
suffers from an occupational disease or has sustained work-related
injuries, and has been confirmed to have lost or has partially lost the
capacity to work;
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2)
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Employee
is on prescribed medical leave due to a non-occupational disease or an
injury that is
non-work-related;
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3)
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Employee
is a woman who is pregnant, on maternity leave, or nursing a
baby;
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4)
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Employee
has been working for the Company for a consecutive fifteen (15) years
and is less than five years from the statutory retirement age;
or
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5)
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Other circumstances
under which the Company is not allowed to terminateemployees
under relevant laws and
regulations.
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(c) The
Company may terminate this Agreement "for cause" immediately and without
severance compensation, for one or more of the following reasons:
1)
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Employee
has materially breached this Agreement, or violated any of the Rules or
any applicable PRC laws or
regulation;
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2)
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Employee
has received illegal benefits, or seriously neglected his/her duties,
which incurred material damages to the Group
Companies;
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3)
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Employee
has been convicted of a crime;
or
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4)
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Any
other reason permissible under any applicable PRC laws and regulations
including, but not limited to, Employee’s use of deception or coercion in
procuring this Agreement.
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(d)
Subject to Section 8(e), Employee may terminate this Agreement at any time upon
thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Company during the Term of this
Agreement.
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(e) Employee
may terminate this Agreement at any time without advance notice under
one or
more of the following circumstances:
1)
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The
Company forces Employee to work by violence, threats or illegal restraint
to Employee's personal freedom;
or
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2)
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The
Company has failed to pay Employee according to this Agreement or to
provide safe work conditions;
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3)
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The
Company fails to timely pay Employee the full amount of his/her
remuneration;
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4)
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The
Company fails to pay the social insurance premium for Employee according
to the relevant PRC law;
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5)
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The
’ Rules and other policies of any Group Companies violate relevant laws
and regulations and harm Employee’s rights and
interests;
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6)
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The
Company materially violates this
Agreement;
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7)
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Other
circumstances under which the relevant laws and regulations permit
termination of the employment agreement by an
employee.
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(f) If
the Company terminates this Agreement pursuant to Section 8(a), or
Employee terminates the Agreement pursuant to Section 8(e), the Company shall
pay to Employee severance equivalent to his/her monthly salary times the number
of years for which he/she works for the Company (subject to a severance cap of
not more than twelve (12) months salary) or, if an amount lower than the
foregoing calculation, such other minimum severance as required by any
applicable law. For Employee’s length of service shorter than one year but
longer than or equal to six months, such length of period shall be calculated as
one year’s service. For any length of service shorter than six months, Employee
shall receive one half month’s pay as severance.
(g) If
Employee voluntarily terminates his/her employment with the Company under
Section 8(d), the Company shall have no obligation to pay any severance or
compensation to Employee.
9. GOVERNING
LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION. This Agreement and the relationship between
the parties shall be governed by the laws of the People’s Republic of China.
Whenever there is a dispute between Employee and the Company, the dispute shall
be resolved through consultations. Should Employee and the Company fail to reach
a settlement, the dispute shall be submitted to a labor dispute arbitration
commission with competent jurisdiction for arbitration. If either party is
dissatisfied with the arbitral award issued by the labor dispute arbitration
commission, that party may bring a lawsuit in a competent People’s
Court.
10. OTHER POST-TERMINATION
OBLIGATIONS.
(a)
Immediately upon termination of Employee’s employment with the Company for any
reason, Employee will resign all positions then held as a director or officer of
any Group Companies.
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(b) Upon
termination of Employee’s employment with the Company, Employee shall promptly
deliver to the Company any and all Group Companies’ records (including records
relating to the Group Companies’ clients) and any and all Group Companies’
property in Employee’s possession or under Employee’s control, including without
limitation manuals, books, blank forms, documents, letters, memoranda, notes,
notebooks, reports, printouts, computer disks, computer tapes, source codes,
data, tables or calculations and all copies thereof, documents that in whole or
in part contain any trade secrets or confidential, proprietary or other secret
information of the Group Companies and all copies thereof, and keys, access
cards, access codes, passwords, credit cards, personal computers, telephones and
other electronic equipment belonging to the Group Companies.
(c) Upon
termination of Employee’s employment with the Company for any reason, Employee
will, upon reasonable request of any Group Company or its designee, cooperate
with the Group Companies in connection with the transition of Employee’s duties
and responsibilities for the Group Companies; consult with the Group Companies
regarding business matters that Employee was directly and substantially involved
with while employed by the Company; and be reasonably available, with or without
subpoena, to be interviewed, review documents or things, give depositions,
testify, or engage in other reasonable activities in connection with any
litigation or investigation, with respect to matters that Employee then has or
may have knowledge of by virtue of Employee’s employment by or service to the
Group Companies.
11. MISCELLANEOUS.
(a) Withholdings. The
Company may withhold from any amounts payable under this Agreement such income
and employment taxes and other withholdings as the Company shall determine are
required to be withheld pursuant to any applicable PRC law or
regulation.
(b) Entire Agreement.
This Agreement, including the Confidentiality Agreement attached hereto
as Appendix A, contains the entire agreement of the parties relating to
Employee’s employment with the Company and supersedes all prior agreements and
understandings with respect to such subject matter, (save for the Xxxxxxxx
Islands Appointment Letter) and the parties hereto have made no agreements,
representations, or warranties relating to the subject matter of this Agreement
that are not set forth herein.
(c)No Violation of Other
Agreements. Employee hereby represents and agrees that neither (i)
Employee’s entering into this Agreement nor (ii) Employee’s carrying out the
provisions of this Agreement, will violate any other agreement (oral, written,
or other) to which Employee is a party or by which Employee is
bound.
(d)Assignment. This
Agreement shall not be assignable, in whole or in part, by either party without
the written consent of the other party. Any attempted assignment or delegation
in contravention hereof shall be null and void.
(e) Amendments. No
amendment or modification of this Agreement will be effective unless made in
writing and signed by the parties hereto.
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(f)Counterparts. This
Agreement may be executed by facsimile signature and in any number of
counterparts, and such counterparts executed and delivered, each as an original,
will constitute but one and the same instrument.
(g)Severability. Subject
to Section 7(e)
hereof, to the extent that any portion of any provision of this Agreement
is held invalid or unenforceable, it will be considered deleted herefrom and the
remainder of such provision and of this Agreement will be unaffected and will
continue in full force and effect.
(h)Survival. The
provisions of this Agreement that by their terms or implication extend beyond
the Term shall survive the termination or expiration of the Term and termination
of Employee’s employment with the Company for any reason. For the avoidance of
doubt, and without limitation, Sections 5, 7, and
9 shall survive termination hereof.
(i)Captions and Headings.
The captions and paragraph headings used in this Agreement are for
convenience of reference only and will not affect the construction or
interpretation of this Agreement or any of the provisions hereof.
(j) Notices. Any notice,
request, demand and other communication under this Agreement shall be in writing
and shall be deemed to have been duly given (i) on the date of service if served
personally on the party to whom notice is to be given, (ii) on the day of
transmission if sent by facsimile to the facsimile number given below, and
electronic printed confirmation of receipt is obtained promptly after completion
of transmission, (iii) on the second day after delivery to a reputable
international courier. If the day on which a notice or other communication is
deemed given under this Section 11 (j) is not
a business day, then such notice or other communication shall instead be deemed
given on the next business day. Such notices, requests, demands, and other
communications shall be addressed to the parties as follows:
(1) If to the
Company: Weifang Changda Fertiliser Co., Ltd.
Attention:
Fax:
with a
copy to:
Attention:
Fax:
(2) If to
Employee: Zhu QingRan
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(k) This
Agreement is executed in Chinese and English. Both the Chinese and English
versions have the same legal validity; however, in the event of any
inconsistency between the two versions, the Chinese version shall prevail.
Employee
and the Company have executed this Agreement effective as of the date set forth
in the first paragraph.
Weifang
Changda Fertiliser Co., Ltd.
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By:
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Its:
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/s/ Zhu QingRan | ||||
Zhu QingRan | ||||
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9
Appendix
A
to
CONFIDENTIALITY
AGREEMENT
In
consideration of my employment by Weifang Changda Fertiliser
Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as “the Company”), the compensation
received by me from the Company from time to time, and the additional
compensation provided herein, I hereby agree to the following terms of this
Confidentiality Agreement (hereafter referred to as “Agreement”):
1. Definitions:
a.
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As
used in this Agreement, “Group Companies” refer
to Weifang
Changda Fertiliser Co., Ltd., and its parent companies,
subsidiaries and other affiliates. I recognize and agree that my
obligations under this Agreement and all terms of this Agreement apply to
me regardless of whether I am employed by or work for any Group Companies.
Furthermore, I understand and agree that the terms of this Agreement will
continue to apply to me even if I transfer at some time from one business
unit of the Group Companies to
another.
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b.
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I
understand that the Group Companies possess and will possess Proprietary
Information, which is important to their business. For purposes of this
Agreement, “Proprietary
Information” is information that was developed, created, or
discovered by or on behalf of the Group Companies, or which became or will
become known by, or was or is conveyed to the Group Companies, which has
commercial value in the Group Companies’ business. “Proprietary
Information” includes, but is not limited to, software programs, source
and object code, algorithms, trade secrets, designs, technology, know-how,
processes, data, ideas, techniques, inventions (whether patentable or
not), works of authorship, formulas, business and product development
plans, customer lists, terms of compensation and performance levels of
Group Companies’ employees, and other information concerning the Group
Companies’ actual or anticipated business, research or development, or
which is received in confidence by or for the Group Companies from any
other person. I agree and acknowledge that Proprietary Information
constitutes “trade secrets” of the Group Companies under Chinese law and
other applicable laws. I understand that my employment creates a
relationship of confidence and trust between me and the Group Companies
with respect to Proprietary
Information.
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c.
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I
understand that the Group Companies possess or will possess “Company Documents and Materials”
which are important to their business. For purposes of this
Agreement, “Company Documents and Materials” are documents or other media
or tangible items that contain or embody Proprietary Information or any
other information concerning the business, operations or plans of the
Group Companies, whether such documents, media or items have been prepared
by me or by others. “Company Documents and Materials” include,
but are not limited to, blueprints, drawings, photographs, charts, graphs,
notebooks, customer lists, computer disks, tapes or printouts, sound
recordings and other printed, typewritten or handwritten documents, sample
products, prototypes and
models.
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2.
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Confidentiality and
Assignment. All Proprietary Information, including but not limited
to all patents, patent rights, copyrights, trade secret rights, trademark
rights and other rights (including, without limitation, intellectual
property rights) anywhere in the world in connections therewith shall be
the sole property of the Group Companies. I hereby assign to the Company
any and all rights, title and interest I may have or acquire in such
Proprietary Information. At all times, both during my employment by the
Company and after its termination, I will keep in confidence and trust and
will not use or disclose any Proprietary Information or anything relating
to it (or any information of a third party if disclosed to any Group
Company by such third party in confidence), without the prior written
consent of an officer of a Group Company, except as may be necessary in
the ordinary course of performing my duties to the Group Companies. I
agree that my confidentiality obligations provided in this paragraph 2
shall survive the termination of my employment with the Company
until the Company expressly waives in writing its right to seek
enforcement of such obligations.
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3.
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Written Records and
Company Documents. I agree to make and maintain adequate and
current written records, in a form specified by the Company, of all
inventions, trade secrets and works of authorship assigned or to be
assigned to the Company pursuant to this Agreement. All Company Documents
and Materials shall be the sole property of the Group Companies. I agree
that during my employment by the Company, I will not remove any Company
Documents and Materials from the business premises of any Group Company or
deliver any Company Documents and Materials to any person or entity
outside the Group Companies, except as I am required to do in connection
with performing the duties of my employment. I further agree that,
immediately upon the termination of my employment by me or by the Company
for any reason, or during my employment if so requested by any Group
Company, I will return all Company Documents and Materials, apparatus,
equipment and other physical property, or any reproduction of such
property, excepting on (i) my personal copies of records relating to my
compensation; (ii) my personal copies of any materials previously
distributed generally to stockholders of the Company; and (iii) my copy of
the Agreement.
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4.
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Disclosure of
Inventions. I will promptly disclose in writing to my immediate
supervisor, or to such other person designated by the Group Companies, all
“Inventions,”
which includes, without limitation, all software programs or
subroutines, source or object code, algorithms, improvements, inventions,
works of authorship, trade secrets, technology, designs, formulas, ideas,
processes, techniques, know-how and data, whether or not patentable, made
or discovered or conceived or reduced to practice or developed by me,
either alone or jointly with others, during the term of my employment. I
will also disclose to the Chairman of Changda International Limited all
Inventions made, discovered, conceived, reduced to practice, or developed
by me within six (6) months after the termination of my employment with
the Company which resulted, in whole or in part, from my prior employment
by the Company. Such disclosures shall be received by the Group Companies
in confidence (to the extent such Inventions are not assigned to the Group
Companies pursuant to paragraph 5 below) and do not extend the assignment
made in paragraph 5 below.
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5.
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Inventions Property of
Company. I agree that all inventions that I make, discover,
conceive, reduce to practice or develop (in whole or in part, either alone
or jointly with others) during my employment shall be the sole property of
the Group Companies to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.
This assignment shall not extend to Inventions, the assignment of which is
prohibited by applicable law.
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6.
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Other Rights of
Company. The Group Companies shall be the sole owners of all
patents, patent rights, copyrights, trade secret rights, trademark rights
and all other intellectual property or other rights in connection with
Inventions that are the sole property of the Group Companies. I further
acknowledge and agree that such Inventions, including, without limitation,
any computer programs, programming documentation, and other works of
authorship, are “works made for hire” for purposes of the Group Companies’
rights under copyright laws in the PRC. I hereby assign to the Company any
and all rights, title and interest I may have or acquire in such
Inventions. If in the course of my employment with the Company, I
incorporate into any Group Company's product, process or machine a prior
Invention owned by me or in which I have interest, the relevant Group
Company is hereby granted and shall have a nonexclusive, royalty-free,
irrevocable, perpetual, sublicensable, worldwide license to make, have
made, modify, use, market, sell and distribute such prior Invention as
part of or in connection with such product, process or
machine.
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7.
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Cooperation. I
agree to perform, during and after my employment, all acts deemed
necessary or desirable by the Group Companies to permit and assist them,
without charge to the Group Companies but at the Group Companies’ expense,
in further evidencing and perfecting the assignments made to the Group
Companies under this Agreement and in obtaining, maintaining, defending
and enforcing patents, patent rights, copyrights, trademark rights, trade
secret rights or any other rights in connection with such Inventions and
improvements thereto in any and all countries. Such acts may include, but
are not limited to, execution of documents and assistance or cooperation
in legal proceedings. 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 and on my behalf and instead of me, to
execute and file any documents, applications or related findings and to do
all other lawfully permitted acts to further the purposes set forth above
in paragraph 6, including, without limitation, the perfection of
assignment and prosecution and issuance of patents, patent applications,
copyright applications and registrations, trademark applications and
registrations or other rights in connection with such Inventions and
improvements thereto with the same legal force and effect as if executed
by me.
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8.
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Moral Rights.
Any assignment of copyright hereunder (and any ownership of a
copyright as a work made for hire) includes all rights of paternity,
integrity, disclosure and withdrawal and any other rights that may be
known as or referred to as “moral rights” (collectively “Moral Rights”). To the
extent such Moral Rights cannot be assigned under applicable law and to
the extent the following is allowed by the laws in the various countries
where Moral Rights exist, I hereby waive such Moral Rights and consent to
any action of the Group Companies that would violate such Moral Rights in
the absence of such consent.
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12
9.
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List of Inventions.
I have attached hereto as Schedule A, a
complete list of all Inventions or improvements to which I claim ownership
and that I desire to remove from the operation of this Agreement, and I
acknowledge and agree that such list is complete. If no such list is
attached to this Agreement, I represent that I have no such Inventions and
improvements at the time of signing this
Agreement.
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10.
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Notification.
Prior to my submitting or disclosing for possible publication or
dissemination outside the Group Companies any material prepared by me that
incorporates information that concerns a Group Company’s business or
anticipated research, I agree to deliver a copy of such material to an
officer of the relevant Group Company for his or her review. Within twenty
(20) days following such submission, the relevant Group Company shall
notify me in writing whether that Group Company believes such material
contains any Proprietary Information or Inventions, and I agree to make
such deletions and revisions as are reasonably requested by that Group
Company to protect its Proprietary Information and Inventions. I further
agree to obtain the written consent of the relevant Group Company prior to
any review of such material by persons outside the Group
Companies.
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11.
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Past Employment or
Agreements. 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 in confidence proprietary information,
knowledge or data acquired by me in confidence or in trust prior to my
employment by the Company, and I will not disclose to any Group Company,
or induce any Group Company to use, any confidential or proprietary
information or material belonging to any previous employers or others. I
have not entered into, and I agree I will not enter into, any agreement
either written or oral in conflict herewith or in conflict with my
employment with the Company. I further agree to conform to the rules and
regulations of the Group Companies.
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12.
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Severability.
If one or more provisions of this Agreement are held to be
unenforceable under any applicable law, such provisions shall be excluded
from this Agreement and the remainder of this Agreement shall be
interpreted as if such provision were so excluded and shall be enforceable
in accordance with its terms.
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13.
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Consent. I
hereby authorize the Company to notify my new employer about my rights and
obligations under this Agreement following the termination of my
employment with the Company.
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14.
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Entire Agreement.
This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding
between the Company and me relating to the subject matter herein and
merges all prior discussions between us, including but not limited to any
and all statements made by any officer, employee or representative of the
Company regarding the Company’s financial condition
or future prospects. I understand and acknowledge that, except as set
forth in this Agreement, the Xxxxxxxx Islands Appointment Letter and in
the employment agreement between the Company and me (i) no other
representation or inducement has been made to me, (ii) I have
relied on my own judgment and investigation in accepting my employment
with the Company, and (iii) I have not relied on any representation or
inducement made by any officer, employee or representative of the Company.
No modification of or amendment to this Agreement, nor any waiver of any
rights under this Agreement, will be effective unless such modification or
amendment or waiver is in writing signed by the Chairman of the Board of
the Group Companies and me. I understand and agree that any subsequent
change in
my duties, salary or compensation will not affect the validity or
scope of this Agreement.
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13
15.
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Successors.
This Agreement shall be effective as of the first day of my
employment with the Company and shall be binding upon me, my heirs,
executor, assigns, and administrators, and shall inure to the benefit of
the Group Companies, their successors and
assigns.
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16.
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Governing
Law. This Agreement and the relationship between the parties shall
be governed by the laws of the People's Republic of China. Whenever there
is a dispute between me and the Company, I agree that the dispute shall be
resolved through consultations. Should I and the Company fail to reach
a
settlement, the dispute shall be submitted to a labor dispute
arbitration commission with competent jurisdiction for arbitration. If
either party is dissatisfied with the arbitral award issued by the labor
dispute arbitration commission, that party may bring a lawsuit to the
competent People's Court.
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17.
Data
Transfer. I acknowledge and agree that personal data about me, to
the extent necessary for the administration and implementation of this
Agreement and other aspects of my employment with the Company, must and
may be collected, stored, used, processed by or transmitted within the
Company and to the Company's administrative agents. By my signature below,
I hereby consent to the collection, transfer, storage, processing and use
of such personal data, for the above described
purposes.
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I HAVE
READ THIS AGREEMENT CAREFULLY AND I UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THE OBLIGATIONS WHICH
IT IMPOSES UPON ME WITHOUT RESERVATION. NO PROMISES OR REPRESENTATIONS HAVE BEEN
MADE TO ME TO INDUCE ME TO SIGN THIS AGREEMENT. I SIGN THIS AGREEMENT
VOLUNTARILY AND FREELY.
/s/
Zhu QingRan
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Zhu QingRan | Date | |||
Agreed by
Employer:
Weifang
Changda Fertiliser Co.., Ltd.'
By:
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Its:
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14
Schedule
A
1.
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The
following is a complete list of all Inventions or improvements relevant to
the subject matter of my employment by the Company that have been made or
discovered or conceived or first reduced to practice by me or jointly with
others prior to my employment by the Company that I desire to remove from
the operation of the Company's Proprietary Information and Inventions
Agreement:
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______ No
inventions or improvements.
______
See below: Any and all inventions regarding:
______
Additional sheets attached.
2.
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I
propose to bring to my employment the following materials and documents of
a former employer:
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______ No
materials or documents.
______ See
below:
/s/
Zhu QingRan
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Zhu QingRan | Date | |||