4. No Misappropriation. During the term of my employment and thereafter, I hereby promise not to disclose or use, or induce or assist in the disclosure or use of, any Confidential Information except for the benefit of the Company. In addition, at no time after the end of my employment with the Company will I seek to obtain or misappropriate, or induce or assist in the obtaining or misappropriation, any of the Company’s trade secrets or other Confidential Information from any current or former Company employee, independent contractor, consultant, or any other source. Notwithstanding the confidentiality obligations set forth in this paragraph, I understand that, pursuant to the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (“DTSA”), I will 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. I also understand that if I file a lawsuit for retaliation by the Company for reporting a suspected violation of law, I may disclose the trade secret to my attorney and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if I (A) file any document containing the trade secret under seal; and (B) do not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order. I further understand that if a court of law or arbitrator determines that I misappropriated Company trade secrets willfully or maliciously, including by making permitted disclosures without following the requirements of the DTSA as detailed in this paragraph, then the Company may be entitled to an award of exemplary damages and attorneys’ fees.
5. Return of Property and Confidential Information. I agree not to remove any Company property or Confidential Information from Company premises without express written permission, and I agree to return all Company property and Confidential Information, in any form, at the time my employment with the Company ends for any reason or upon the earlier request of the Company. To the extent that I possess any Confidential Information in digital or other electronic form, I will work with the Company to secure said Confidential Information in accordance with the Company’s direction. Upon the request of the Company, I will execute a document confirming my agreement to honor my responsibilities contained in this agreement after my departure.
6. Agreement Not to Solicit Employees. I further agree that, during my employment with the Company, and for a period of one (1) year after the end of my employment relationship with the Company for any reason, I will not, directly or indirectly, either on my own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, attempt to employ, solicit for employment, or otherwise seek to employ or retain any employee or consultant of the Company, or in any way assist or facilitate any such employment, solicitation, or retention effort.
7. Assignment of Intellectual Property.
(a) “Intellectual Property” means any idea, concept, design, suggestion, discovery, invention, copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, or other intellectual property of any nature, including computer graphics, programs, and/or algorithms, processes, diagrams,know-how, drawings, notes, memoranda, digital representations, illustrations, videos, photographs, and/or pictorial representations of any nature. “Inventions” means all discoveries, developments, designs, improvements, formulas, and processes.
(b) I agree to identify all Intellectual Property and Inventions, as defined above, of mine that existed prior to my employment with the Company within fourteen (14) days after
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