(b) In the event of a Covered Change of Control Termination (as defined below), then in lieu of, and not in addition to, the severance benefits payable under Article 4 above, Employee shall receive the following: (i) Employee shall be paid in a lump sum on the date which is the first day following the six (6) month anniversary of the date of the Covered Change of Control Termination, an amount equal to the sum of: (A) three years of Employee’s then current base salary, (B) three times the Bonus Amount (as defined in Section 4(b) above), and (C) the aggregate amount of contributions that would be credited to Employee under the Company’s 401(k) plan for the three years following the effective date of termination in connection with (I) the Company’s fixed contribution to the plan (currently 3%), (II) the Company’s performance-based contribution to the plan (currently between 0% and 4%), assuming that the applicable rate of performance-based contributions during such period were to equal the average rate of performance-based contributions under the plan for the three years immediately prior to the effective date of termination and (III) the Company’s matching contributions of employee contributions to the plan at the then current rate of matching contributions, assuming that Employee were to continue to participate in the plan and to make the maximum permissible contribution thereunder for such three-year period; (ii) the Employee shall be provided his or her normal health and welfare benefits (but not including additional stock or option grants) on a monthly basis during the three-year period following the occurrence of a Change of Control, including health and dental and life insurance benefits Employee was receiving prior to the Change of Control; provided, however, to the extent any such benefits cannot be provided to the Employee on a non-taxable basis and the provision thereof would cause any part of the benefits to be subject to additional taxes and interest under Section 409A of the Code, then the Company’s provision of such benefits shall be deferred to the earliest date upon which such benefits can be provided without being subject to such additional taxes and interest; and (iii) Employee shall be entitled to exercise all stock options and stock appreciation rights previously granted to Employee by the Company, and shall be fully vested in all restricted stock, stock units and similar stock-based or incentive awards (assuming “maximum” satisfaction of any applicable performance conditions) previously granted to Employee by the Company, regardless of any deferred vesting or deferred exercise provisions of such arrangements; provided, however, that the payment of restricted units shall not be accelerated except as provided in the award agreement with respect thereto. For the avoidance of doubt, the amounts paid under this Section 5(b) are in lieu of payment to Employee under any other severance agreement, plan, policy, practice or program of the Company.
(b) For purposes of determining whether and the extent to which the Total Payments will be subject to the Excise Tax, (i) no portion of the Total Payments the receipt or enjoyment of which the Employee shall have waived at such time and in such manner as not to constitute a “payment” within the meaning of Section 280G(b) of the Code shall be taken into account, (ii) no portion of the Total Payments shall be taken into account which, in the opinion of tax counsel (“Tax Counsel”) are reasonably acceptable to the Employee and selected by the accounting firm (the “Auditor”) which was, immediately prior to the Change of Control, the Company’s registered public accounting firm, does not constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(2) of the Code (including by reason of Section 280G(b)(4)(A) of the Code) and, in calculating the Excise Tax, no portion of such Total Payments shall be taken into account which, in the opinion of Tax Counsel, constitutes reasonable compensation for services actually rendered, within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(4)(B) of the Code, in excess of the base amount (as defined in Section 280G(b)(3) of the Code) allocable to such reasonable compensation, and (iii) the value of any non-cash benefit or any deferred payment or benefit included in the Total Payments shall be determined by the Auditor in accordance with the principles of Sections 280G(d)(3) and (4) of the Code.
(c) At the time that payments are made under this Agreement, the Company shall provide the Employee with a written statement setting forth the manner in which such payments were calculated and the basis for such calculations including, without limitation, any opinions or other advice the Company has received from Tax Counsel, the Auditor or other advisors or consultants (and any such opinions or advice which are in writing shall be attached to the statement).
7. Confidential Information, etc.
(a) Employee recognizes and acknowledges that: (i) in the course of Employee’s employment by the Company it will be necessary for Employee to acquire information which could include, in whole or in part, information concerning the Company’s sales, sales volume, sales methods, sales proposals, customers and prospective customers, identity of customers and prospective customers, identity of key purchasing personnel in the employ of customers and prospective customers, amount or kind of customers’ purchases from the Company, the Company’s sources of supply, computer programs, system documentation, special hardware, product hardware, related software development, manuals, formulae, processes, methods, machines, compositions, ideas, improvements, inventions or other confidential or proprietary information belonging to the Company or relating to the Company’s affairs (collectively referred to herein as the “Confidential Information”); (ii) the Confidential Information is the property of the Company; (iii) the use, misappropriation or disclosure of the Confidential Information would constitute a breach of trust and could cause irreparable injury to the Company; and (iv) it is essential to the protection of the Company’s good will and to the maintenance of the Company’s competitive position that the Confidential Information be kept secret and that Employee not disclose the Confidential Information to others or use the Confidential Information to Employee’s own advantage or the advantage of others.
(b) Employee further recognizes and acknowledges that it is essential for the proper protection of the business of the Company that Employee be restrained (i) from soliciting or inducing any Employee of the Company or of any subsidiary of the Company (as used in Articles 7, 8 and 9, collectively, the “Company”) to leave the employ of the Company, (ii) from hiring or attempting to hire any Employee of the Company, (iii) from soliciting the trade of or trading with the customers and suppliers of the Company for any business purpose, and (iv) from competing against the Company for a reasonable period.
8. Confidentiality, Non-compete and Related Covenants.
(a) Employee agrees to hold and safeguard the Confidential Information in trust for the Company, its successors and assigns and agrees that he or she shall not, without the prior written consent of the Company, disclose or make available to anyone for use outside the Company at any time, either during his or her employment by the Company or subsequent to the termination of his or her employment by the Company for any reason, including without limitation termination by the Company in a Termination for Cause or otherwise, any of the Confidential Information, whether or not developed by Employee, except as required in the performance of Employee’s duties to the Company.
(b) Upon the termination of Employee’s employment by the Company or by Employee for any reason, including without limitation termination by the Company in a termination for Cause or otherwise, Employee shall promptly deliver to the Company all originals and copies of correspondence, drawings, blueprints, financial and business records, marketing and publicity materials, manuals, letters, notes, notebooks, laptops, reports, flow-charts, programs, proposals and any documents concerning the Company’s customers or concerning products or processes used by the Company and, without limiting the foregoing, shall promptly deliver to the Company any and all other documents or materials containing or constituting Confidential Information.
(c) Employee agrees that during his or her employment by the Company he or she shall not, directly or indirectly, solicit the trade of, or trade with, any customer, prospective customer or supplier of the Company for any business purpose other than for the benefit of the Company. Upon termination of Employee’s employment by the Company or by Employee for any reason, including without limitation termination by the Company in a termination for Cause or otherwise, Employee further agrees that during the Severance Period or for a period of two years after such termination of employment hereunder, whichever is longer, Employee shall not, directly or indirectly, solicit the trade of, or trade with, any customers or suppliers, or prospective customers or suppliers, of the Company, or solicit or induce, or attempt to solicit or induce, any employee of the Company to leave the Company for any reason whatsoever or hire any employee of the Company.
(d) During the period of Employee’s employment hereunder and upon termination of Employee’s employment by the Company or by Employee for any reason, including without limitation termination by the Company in a termination for Cause or otherwise, Employee agrees that during the Severance Period or for a period of two years after such termination of employment hereunder, whichever is longer, Employee shall not, in any Competitive Territory, engage, directly or indirectly, whether as principal or as agent, officer, director, employee, consultant, shareholder or otherwise, alone or in association with any other person, corporation or other entity, in any Competing Business. For purposes of this Agreement, (i) the term “Competing Business” shall mean any person, corporation or other entity which sells or attempts to sell any products or services which are the same as or similar to the products and services sold by the Company at any time and from time to time during the last two years prior to the termination of Employee’s employment hereunder, and (ii) the term “Competitive Territory” shall mean the United States of America, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, Japan, China and any other nation in which, to the knowledge of Employee, the Company has made or considered making such sales, either itself or through a subsidiary, affiliate or joint venture partner, during the last two years prior to the termination of Employee’s employment hereunder.