Section 5. Nondisclosure, Inventions and Noncompetition
| (a) | Nondisclosure and Inventions. |
Definitions. For purposes of this Section 5, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below.
“Competitive Business” means any business engaged in providing products and services competitive with those products and services offered by any member of the Village Farms Group at the time of termination of Executive’s employment.
“Confidential Information” means all information relating to any member of the Village Farms Group and their respective customers and suppliers considered by any member of the Village Farms Group to be confidential including, without limitation, (a) business plans, research, development, and marketing strategies, customer names and lists, product and service prices and lines, processes, designs, formulae, methods, financial information, costs, supplies, and (b) the Trade Secrets (as defined below). “Confidential Information” shall not include the foregoing that is or becomes (i) in the public domain other than through acts by the Executive, (ii) already lawfully in the Executive’s possession at the time of disclosure by the Company as evidenced by the Executive’s written records, (c) disclosed to the Executive by a third party who is not prohibited from disclosing the information pursuant to any fiduciary, contractual, or other duty to any member of the Village Farms Group, or (d) required by law, rule, regulation or court order to be disclosed.
“Inventions” means discoveries, concepts, ideas, methods, formulae, techniques, developments,know-how, inventions, and improvements relating to the business of any member of the Village Farms Group, whether or not patentable, conceived of or made by Executive at any time during the Term, whether before, during, or after business hours, or with the use of the facilities of any member of the Village Farms Group, materials, or personnel, either solely or jointly with others after the Effective Date and during Executive’s employment by the Village Farms Group.
“Trade Secrets” means any and all technology and information relating to businesses of the Village Farms Group or their respective patents, methods, formulae, software,know-how, designs, products, processes, services, research development, inventions, systems, engineering, and manufacturing which have been designated and treated as trade secrets by any member of the Village Farms Group and which provide competitive advantage to any member of the Village Farms Group.
| (b) | Confidentiality; Company to Own Inventions. |
| (i) | Receipt of Confidential Information. The Executive acknowledges that during Executive’s employment as an executive of the Village Farms Group and as a result of the confidential relationship with the Village Farms Group established thereby, the Executive shall be receiving Confidential Information and that the Confidential Information is a highly valuable asset of the Village Farms Group. |
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