| | a type not otherwise considered confidential by persons engaged in the same activity or an activity similar to that conducted by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; and |
| (B) | the Participant shall be allowed to disclose confidential information to the Participant’s attorney solely for the purpose of ascertaining whether such information is confidential within the intent of this Agreement, but only so long as the Participant both discloses to the Participant’s attorney the provisions of this paragraph and agrees not to waive the attorney-client privilege with respect thereto. |
All determinations regarding Competition or Unauthorized Disclosure of Confidential Information under this Agreement shall be made by the Board of Directors of the Company, or a committee thereof, in its discretion.
Nothing in this Agreement restricts or prohibits the Participant or the Participant’s counsel from initiating communications directly with, responding to any inquiry from, volunteering information to, or providing testimony before a self-regulatory authority or a governmental, law enforcement or other regulatory authority, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Congress, and any Office of Inspector General (collectively, the “Regulators”), from participating in any reporting of, investigation into, or proceeding regarding suspected violations of law, or from making other disclosures that are protected under or from receiving an award for information provided under the whistleblower provisions of state or federal law or regulation. The Participant does not need the prior authorization of the Company to engage in such communications with the Regulators, respond to such inquiries from the Regulators, provide confidential information or documents containing confidential information to the Regulators, or make any such reports or disclosures to the Regulators. The Participant is not required to notify the Company that the Participant has engaged in such communications with the Regulators. The Participant recognizes and agrees that, in connection with any such activity outlined above, the Participant must inform the Regulators that the information the Participant is providing is confidential.
Federal law provides certain protections to individuals who disclose a trade secret to their attorney, a court, or a government official in certain, confidential circumstances. Specifically, federal law provides that an individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret under either of the following conditions:
| ● | Where the disclosure is made (a) in confidence to a federal, state or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (b) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or |
| ● | Where the disclosure is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. |
Federal law also provides that an individual who files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if the individual (a) files any document containing the trade secret under seal; and (b) does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.
| (e) | If the Participant’s Company Service (as defined in Paragraph 7) ceases for any reason other than those set forth in Paragraphs 6(a), (b) and (c) above during any Period of Restriction, any Award Shares still subject to restrictions at the date of such cessation of Company Service shall be automatically forfeited to the Company. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, the Board of Directors of the Company or the Committee may, in its sole discretion, waive the forfeiture of any or all Award Shares and provide |