13. Consent to Jurisdiction. The parties expressly consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state or federal courts of Illinois to resolve any and all disputes arising under the post-employment restrictions contained in Section 5 of this Agreement and hereby waive any right that they might have to object to jurisdiction or venue within such court or any defense based on the doctrine of forum non conveniens. The parties also agree that any and all disputes arising under the post-employment restrictions contained in Section 5 of this Agreement may be resolved in a state or federal court and shall not be subject to arbitration irrespective of any other agreement.
14. Counterparts & Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in duplicate counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Facsimile, electronic (PDF, etc.) and other copies or duplicates of this Agreement are valid and enforceable as originals. Similarly, Agreements signed by hand, electronically (DocuSign or similar service), or, on behalf of the Company, by signature stamp, are valid and enforceable as original signatures.
15. Notice of Immunity. Employee understands that nothing in this Agreement is intended to prohibit Employee from disclosing information, including Proprietary Information, which is permitted to be disclosed by the Federal Defend Trade Secrets Act, which provides that an individual may not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for disclosure of a trade secret (a) made in confidence to a government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney, solely for the purpose ofrepo11ing or investigating a suspected violation of law or (b) in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. In addition, Employee understands that if Employee files a lawsuit against the Company for retaliation based on the reporting of a suspected violation of law, Employee may disclose a trade secret to Employee’s attorney and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, so long as any document containing the trade secret is filed under seal and the trade secret is not disclosed except pursuant to court order. To the extent Employee suspects a violation of the law, Employee should report their suspicion to an officer of the Company or in accordance with relevant the Company policies.
16. Return of the Company Property. At the request of the Company (or, without any request, upon termination of my employment with the Company), Employee will immediately deliver to the Company (a) all the Company property that is then in Employee’s possession, custody or control, including, without limitation, all keys, access cards, cell phones, tablets, computer hardware including but not limited to any hard drives, external storage devices, diskettes, fobs, laptops, tablets, computers and personal data assistants (and the contents thereof), internet connectivity devices, computer software and programs, data, materials, papers, books, files, documents, records; (b) any and all documents or other items containing, summarizing, or describing any Proprietary Information, including all originals and copies in whatever form; (c) any personal device that Employee synced with or used to access any the Company system for purpose of inspection and copying; and (d) a list of passwords or codes needed to operate or access any of the items referenced in this Section 16.
17. Promotional Materials. Employee authorizes and consents to, during the term of Employee’s employment with the Company, the creation and/or use of Employee’s likeness as well as Employee’s name by the Company, and persons or organizations authorized by it, without reservation or limitation and without further consideration. Pursuant to this authorization and consent, the Company may, for example, use Employee’s likeness on its website, and publish and distribute advertising, sales, or other promotional literature containing a likeness of Employee in the course of performing Employee’s job duties. Employee also waives any cause of action for personal injury and/or property damage by virtue of the creation and use of such a likeness. Property rights to any likeness of Employee produced or prepared by the Company, or any person or organization authorized by it shall vest in and remain with the Company. As used herein, “likeness” shall include a photograph, photographic reproduction, audio transmission, audio recording, video transmission and/or video recording, as well as any other similar medium.
18. Fair Meaning. The language of this Agreement shall be construed as a whole, according to its fair meaning, and not strictly for or against any party.