accelerated or additional tax under Section 409A of the Code such payments or benefits shall be restructured in a manner which does not cause such an accelerated or additional tax. Without limiting the application of the preceding sentence, any payment of money due hereunder which is delayed in order to avoid the application of Section 409A of the Code (e.g., a six-month delay in the commencement of severance pay, if necessary, if at the time of the Executive’s termination of employment he is a ‘‘specified employee,’’ as defined in Section 409A of the Code) shall be paid as soon as possible without causing the application of Section 409A.
5. Protection of Confidential Information; Restrictive Covenants.
5.1 From the Effective Date, the Company will share with Executive confidential and trade secret information regarding not only the Company but also its subsidiaries and affiliates. In view of the fact that the Executive’s work for the Company will bring the Executive into close contact with many confidential affairs of the Company not readily available to the public, trade secret information and plans for future developments, the Executive agrees:
5.1.1 To keep and retain in the strictest confidence all confidential matters of the Company, including, without limitation, ‘‘know how’’, trade secrets, customer lists, pricing policies, operational methods, technical processes, formulae, inventions and research projects, other business affairs of the Company, and any information whatsoever concerning any director, officer, employee, shareholder, partner, customer or agent of the Company or their respective family members learned by the Executive heretofore or hereafter, and not to disclose them to anyone outside of the Company, either during or after the Executive’s employment with the Company, except in the course of perform ing the Executive’s duties hereunder or with the Company’s express written consent. The foregoing prohibitions shall include, without limitation, directly or indirectly publishing (or causing, participating in, assisting or providing any statement, opinion or information in connection with the publication of) any diary, memoir, letter, story, photograph, interview, article, essay, account or description (whether fictionalized or not) concerning any of the foregoing, publication being deemed to include any presentation or reproduction of any written, verbal or visual material in any communication medium, including any book, magazine, newspaper, theatrical production or movie, or television or radio programming or commercial; and
5.1.2 To deliver promptly to the Company on termination of the Executive’s employment by the Company, or at any time the Company may so request, all memoranda, notes, records, reports, manuals, drawings, blueprints and other documents (and all copies thereof), including data stored in computer memories or on other media used for electronic storage or retrieval, relating to the Company’s business and all property associated therewith, which the Executive may then possess or have under the Executive’s control, and not retain any copies, notes or summaries.
5.2 In support of Executive’s commitments to maintain the confidentiality of the Company’s confidential and trade secret information, during (i)��the Term, and (ii) for a period of two years following termination of the Executive’s employment for any reason, the Executive shall not in the United States and in any non-US jurisdiction where the Company may then do business: (a) directly or indirectly, enter the employ of, or render any services to, any person, firm or corporation engaged in any business competitive with the business of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries or affiliates; (b) engage in such business on the Executive’s own account; and the Executiv e shall not become interested in any such business, directly or indirectly, as an individual, partner, shareholder, director, officer, principal, agent, employee, trustee, consultant, or in any other relationship or capacity; (c) directly or indirectly, solicit, encourage or cause any client, customer or supplier of the Company to cease doing business with the Company, or to reduce the amount of business such client, customer or supplier does with the Company or (d) directly or indirectly, solicit or encourage to cease to work with the Company, or directly or indirectly hire, any person who is an employee of or consultant then under contract with the Company or who was an employee of or consultant then under contract with the Company within the six month period preceding such activity without the Company’s written consent.
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5.3 If the Executive commits a breach, or threatens to commit a breach, of any of the provisions of Sections 5.1 or 5.2 hereof, the Company shall have the following rights and remedies:
5.3.1 The right and remedy to have the provisions of this Agreement specifically enforced by any court having equity jurisdiction, it being acknowledged and agreed that any such breach or threatened breach will cause irreparable injury to the Company and that money damages will not provide an adequate remedy to the Company;
5.3.2 The right and remedy to require the Executive to account for and pay over to the Company all compensation, profits, monies, accruals, increments or other benefits derived or received by the Executive as the result of any transactions constituting a breach of any of the provisions of the preceding paragraph, and the Executive hereby agrees to account for and pay over such benefits to the Company. Each of the rights and remedies enumerated above shall be independent of the other, and shall be severally enforceable, and all of such rights and remedies shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other rights and remedies available to the Company under law or in equity; and
5.3.3 In addition to any other remedy which may be available (i) at law or in equity, or (ii) pursuant to any other provision of this Agreement, the payments by the Company of Base Salary and the regular premium for group health benefits pursuant to Section 4.4 will cease as of the date on which such violation first occurs. In addition, if the Executive breaches any of the covenants contained in Sections 5.1 and 5.2 and the Company obtains injunctive relief with respect thereto, the period during which the Executive is required to comply with that particular covenant shall be extended by the same period that the Executive was in breach of such covenant prior to the effective date of such injunctive relief.
5.4 If any of the covenants contained in Sections 5.1 or 5.2, or any part thereof, hereafter are held by a court to be invalid or unenforceable, the same shall not affect the remainder of the covenant or covenants, which shall be given full effect, without regard to those portions found invalid.
5.5 If any of the covenants contained in Sections 5.1 or 5.2, or any part thereof, are held to be unenforceable because of the duration of such provision or the area covered thereby, the parties agree that the court making such determination shall have the power to reduce the duration and/or area of such provision and, in its reduced form, said provision shall then be enforceable.
5.6 The Executive agrees (whether during or after the Executive’s employment with the Company) not to issue, circulate, publish or utter any false or disparaging statements, remarks or rumors about the Company or its affiliates or the officers, directors, managers, customers, partners, or shareholders of the Company or its affiliates unless giving truthful testimony under subpoena.
5.7 For purposes of this Section 5 only, the term ‘‘Company’’ includes the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
6. Inventions and Patents.
6.1 The Executive agrees that all processes, technologies and inventions (collectively, ‘‘Inventions’’), including new contributions, improvements, ideas and discoveries, whether patentable or not, conceived, developed, invented or made by him during the Term shall belong to the Company, provided that such Inventions grew out of the Executive’s work with the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, are related in any manner to the business (commercial or experimental) of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates or are conceived or made on the Company’s time or with the use of the Company’s facilities or materials. The Executive sha ll further: (a) promptly disclose such Inventions to the Company; (b) assign to the Company, without additional compensation, all patent and other rights to such Inventions for the United States and foreign countries; (c) sign all papers necessary to carry out the foregoing; and (d) give testimony in support of the Executive’s inventorship.
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6.2 If any Invention is described in a patent application or is disclosed to third parties, directly or indirectly, by the Executive within two years after the termination of the Executive’s employment by the Company, it is to be presumed that the Invention was conceived or made during the Term.
6.3 The Executive agrees that the Executive will not assert any rights to any Invention as having been made or acquired by the Executive prior to the date of this Agreement, except for Inventions, if any, disclosed to the Company in writing prior to the date hereof.
7. Intellectual Property.
The Company shall be the sole owner of all the products and proceeds of the Executive’s services hereunder, including, but not limited to, all materials, ideas, concepts, formats, suggestions, developments, arrangements, packages, programs and other intellectual properties that the Executive may acquire, obtain, develop or create in connection with and during the Term, free and clear of any claims by the Executive (or anyone claiming under the Executive) of any kind or character whatsoever (other than the Executive’s right to receive payments hereunder). The Executive shall, at the request of the Company, execute such assignments, certificates or other instruments as the Company may from time to time deem necessary or desirable to evidence, establish, maintain, perfect, protect, enforce or defend its right, title or interest in or to any such properties.
8. Notices.
All notices, requests, consents and other communications required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if delivered personally, sent by overnight courier or mailed first class, postage prepaid, by registered or certified mail (notices mailed shall be deemed to have been given on the date mailed), as follows (or to such other address as either party shall designate by notice in writing to the other in accordance herewith):
If to the Company, to:
Clarke American Corp.
10931 Laureate Dr.
San Antonio, TX 78249
Fax: (210) 561-8228
Attn: CEO
If to the Executive, to:
Daniel Singleton
9. Governing Law; Dispute Resolution. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas without regard to conflicts of laws provisions. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to Section 5 of this Agreement (or the breach thereof) shall be settled by a federal court located in Bexar County, Texas; additionally each of the parties hereto specifically waives any objection that it may otherwise have to the jurisdiction or venue of any such courts or that such courts are an inconvenient forum and acknowledges that service of process may be made by mailing a copy thereof in accordance with the provisions of Section&nb sp;8. Any controversy or claim arising out of or related to any other provision of this Agreement shall be settled by final, binding and non-appealable arbitration in Bexar County, Texas by a single arbitrator. Subject to the following provisions, the arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the applicable rules of JAMS then in effect. Any award entered by the arbitrator shall be final, binding and non-appealable and judgment may be entered thereon by either party in accordance with applicable law in any court of competent jurisdiction. This arbitration provision shall be specifically enforceable. The arbitrator shall have no authority to modify any provision of this Agreement or to award a remedy for a dispute involving this Agreement other than a benefit specifically provided under or by virtue of the Agreement. Each party shall be responsible for its own expenses relating to the conduct of the arbitration or litigation (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) and shall share the fees of JAMS and the arbitrator, if applicable, equally.
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10. General.
10.1 JURY TRIAL WAIVER. THE PARTIES EXPRESSLY AND KNOWINGLY WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL IN THE EVENT ANY ACTION ARISING UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT OR THE EXECUTIVE’S EMPLOYMENT WITH THE COMPANY IS LITIGATED OR HEARD IN ANY COURT.
10.2 Continuation of Employment. Unless the parties otherwise agree in writing, continuation of the Executive’s employment with the Company beyond the expiration of the Term shall be deemed an employment at will and shall not be deemed to extend any of the provisions of this Agreement, and Executive’s employment may thereafter be terminated ‘‘at will’’ by the Executive or the Company and Executive will be entitled to fringe benefits which the Executive is eligible to receive for so long as the Executive continues to be employed with the Company.
10.3 Headings. The section headings contained herein are for reference purposes only and shall not in any way affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
10.4 Entire Agreement. This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding of the parties relating to the Executive’s employment by the Company, and supersedes all prior agreements, arrangements and understandings, written or oral, relating to the Executive’s employment by the Company including effective as of the Effective Date, the Original Employment Agreement. No representation, promise or inducement has been made by either party that is not embodied in this Agreement, and neither party shall be bound by or liable for any alleged representation, promise or inducement not so set forth.
10.5 Assignment. This Agreement, and the Executive’s rights and obligations hereunder, may not be assigned by the Executive. The Company may assign its rights, together with its obligations, hereunder (i) to any affiliate or (ii) to third parties in connection with any sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Company; in any event the obligations of the Company hereunder shall be binding on its successors or assigns, whether by merger, consolidation or acquisition of all or substantially all of its business or assets.
10.6 Waiver. This Agreement may be amended, modified, superseded, canceled, renewed or extended and the terms or covenants hereof may be waived, only by a written instrument executed by all of the parties hereto, or in the case of a waiver, by the party waiving compliance. The failure of either party at any time or times to require performance of any provision hereof shall in no manner affect the right at a later time to enforce the same. No waiver by either party of the breach of any term or covenant contained in this Agreement, whether by conduct or otherwise, in any one or more instances, shall be deemed to be, or construed as, a further or continuing waiver of any such brea ch, or a waiver of the breach of any other term or covenant contained in this Agreement.
11. Subsidiaries and Affiliates.
11.1 As used herein, the term ‘‘subsidiary’’ shall mean any corporation or other business entity controlled directly or indirectly by the corporation or other business entity in question, and the term ‘‘affiliate’’ shall mean and include any corporation or other business entity directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with the corporation or other business entity in question.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first above written.
![](https://capedge.com/proxy/10-K/0000950136-07-001548/spacer.gif) | CLARKE AMERICAN CORP. |
![](https://capedge.com/proxy/10-K/0000950136-07-001548/spacer.gif) | By: /s/ Charles T. Dawson Name: Charles T. Dawson Title: President & Chief Executive Officer |
![](https://capedge.com/proxy/10-K/0000950136-07-001548/spacer.gif) | /s/ J. Daniel Singleton J. Daniel Singleton |
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