CONFIDENTIALITY, NON-INTERFERENCE, AND INVENTION ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.23
CONFIDENTIALITY, NON-INTERFERENCE, AND INVENTION ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT
As a condition of my becoming employed by, or continuing employment with, Interactive Data Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the Company), and in consideration of my employment with the Company and my receipt of the compensation now and hereafter paid to me by the Company, I agree to the following:
Section 1. Confidential Information.
(a) Company Group Information. I acknowledge that, during the course of my employment, I will have access to information about the Company and its direct and indirect parents and subsidiaries (together with the Company, the Company Group) and that my employment with the Company shall bring me into close contact with confidential and proprietary information of the Company Group. In recognition of the foregoing, I agree, at all times during the term of my employment with the Company and for a period of ten (10) years thereafter, to hold in confidence, and not to use, except for the benefit of the Company Group, or to disclose to any person, firm, corporation, or other entity without prior written authorization of the Company, any Confidential Information that I obtain or create. I further agree not to make copies of such Confidential Information except as authorized by the Company. I understand that Confidential Information means information that the Company Group has developed, acquired, created, compiled, discovered, or owned or will develop, acquire, create, compile, discover, or own, (or that others have provided to the Company Group in confidence) that has value in or to the business of the Company Group that is not generally known and that the Company wishes to maintain as confidential. I understand that Confidential Information includes, but is not limited to, any and all non-public information that relates to the actual or anticipated business and/or products, research, or development of the Company, or to the Companys technical data, trade secrets, or know-how, including, but not limited to, research, product plans, or other information regarding the Companys products or services and markets, customer lists, and customers (including, but not limited to, customers of the Company on whom I called or with whom I may become acquainted during the term of my employment), software, developments, inventions, processes, formulas, technology, designs, drawings, engineering, hardware configuration information, marketing, finances, and other business information disclosed by the Company either directly or indirectly in writing, orally, or by drawings or inspection of premises, parts, equipment, or other Company property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Confidential Information shall not include (i) any of the foregoing items that have become publicly and widely known through no unauthorized disclosure by me or others who were under confidentiality obligations as to the item or items involved or (ii) any information that I am required to disclose to, or by, any governmental or judicial authority; provided, however, that in such event I will give the Company prompt written notice thereof so that the Company Group may seek an appropriate protective order and/or waive in writing compliance with the confidentiality provisions of this agreement.
(b) Former Employer Information. I represent that my performance of all of the terms of this Confidentiality, Non-Interference, and Invention Assignment Agreement (the Non-Interference Agreement) as an employee of the Company has not breached and will not breach any agreement or obligation to keep in confidence proprietary information, knowledge, or
data acquired by me in confidence or trust prior or subsequent to the commencement of my employment with the Company, and I will not disclose to any member of the Company Group, or induce any member of the Company Group to use, any developments, or confidential or proprietary information or material I may have obtained in connection with employment with any prior employer in violation of a confidentiality agreement, nondisclosure agreement, or similar agreement with such prior employer, or in violation of any other obligation.
Section 2. Developments.
(a) Prior Developments. All developments, original works of authorship, improvements, trade secrets and other intellectual property that I can demonstrate were created or owned by me or any affiliated entity prior to the commencement of my employment (collectively referred to as Prior Developments), which belong solely to me or any affiliated entity or belong to me or such entity jointly with another, to the extent they relate in any way to the Ticker Plant (as described in the NookCo LLC/IDC Term Sheet (the NookCo Term Sheet)) are hereby assigned to the Company. I agree to take all actions to cause any affiliated entity to make the same assignment.
(b) Assignment of Developments. I agree that I will, without additional compensation, promptly make full written disclosure to the Company of all developments, original works of authorship, inventions, concepts, know-how, improvements, trade secrets, and similar proprietary rights, whether or not patentable or registrable under copyright or similar laws, which I (or any affiliated entity) may solely or jointly conceive or develop or reduce to practice, or have solely or jointly conceived or developed or reduced to practice, or have caused or may cause to be conceived or developed or reduced to practice, during my employment by the Company, whether or not during regular working hours, provided they either (i) relate at the time of conception, development or reduction to practice to the current or future business of any member of the Company Group, or the actual or anticipated research or development of any member of the Company Group; (ii) result from, are within the scope of, or relate to any work performed for any member of the Company Group; and/or (iii) are developed through the use of equipment, supplies, or facilities of any member of the Company Group, or any Confidential Information, or in consultation with personnel of any member of the Company Group (collectively referred to as Developments). I further acknowledge that all of the above Developments made by me (solely or jointly with others) are works made for hire. I hereby assign to the Company, or its designee, all my right, title, and interest (including intellectual property rights) throughout the world in and to any of the above Developments that are deemed not to be made a work made for hire pursuant to the foregoing.
(c) Maintenance of Records. I agree to keep and maintain adequate and current written records of all Developments made by me (solely or jointly with others) during the Assignment Period. The records may be in the form of notes, sketches, drawings, flow charts, electronic data or recordings, and any other format. The records will be available to and remain the sole property of the Company Group at all times. I agree not to remove such records from the Companys place of business except as expressly permitted by Company Group policy, which may, from time to time, be revised at the sole election of the Company Group for the purpose of furthering the business of the Company Group.
(d) Intellectual Property Rights. I agree to assist the Company, or its designee, at the Companys expense, in every way to secure the rights of the Company Group in the Developments and any copyrights, patents, trademarks, service marks, database rights, domain names, mask work rights, moral rights, and other intellectual property rights relating thereto in any and all countries, including the disclosure to the Company of all pertinent information and data with respect thereto, the execution of all applications, specifications, oaths, assignments, recordations, and all other instruments that the Company shall deem necessary in order to apply for, obtain, maintain, and transfer such rights and in order to assign and convey to the Company Group the sole and exclusive right, title, and interest in and to such Developments, and any intellectual property and other proprietary rights relating thereto. I further agree that my obligation to execute or cause to be executed, when it is in my power to do so, any such instrument or papers shall continue after the termination of the Assignment Period until the expiration of the last such intellectual property right to expire in any country of the world; provided, however, the Company shall reimburse me for my reasonable expenses incurred in connection with carrying out the foregoing obligation. If the Company is unable because of my mental or physical incapacity or unavailability for any other reason to secure my signature to apply for or to pursue any application for any United States or foreign patents or copyright registrations covering Developments or original works of authorship assigned to the Company as above, then I hereby irrevocably designate and appoint the Company and its duly authorized officers and agents as my agent and attorney in fact to act for and in my behalf and stead to execute and file any such applications or records and to do all other lawfully permitted acts to further the application for, prosecution, issuance, maintenance, and transfer of letters patent or registrations thereon with the same legal force and effect as if originally executed by me. I hereby waive and irrevocably quitclaim to the Company any and all claims, of any nature whatsoever, that I now or hereafter have for past, present, or future infringement of any and all proprietary rights assigned to the Company.
Section 3. Returning Company Group Documents.
I agree that, at any time during, or following the termination of, my employment with the Company for any reason, I will deliver to the Company (and will not keep in my possession, recreate, or deliver to anyone else) any and all Confidential Information and all other documents, materials, information, and property developed by me pursuant to my employment or otherwise belonging to the Company (but not including my personal Rolodex or similar record, whether kept electronically or otherwise). I agree further that any property situated on the Companys premises and/or owned by the Company (or any other member of the Company Group), including disks and other storage media, filing cabinets, and other work areas, is subject to inspection by personnel of any member of the Company Group at any time with or without notice.
Section 4. Disclosure of Agreement.
As long as it remains in effect, I will disclose the existence, but not the terms, of this Non-Interference Agreement to any prospective employer, partner, co-venturer, investor, or lender prior to entering into an employment, partnership, or other business relationship with such person or entity.
Section 5. Restrictions on Interfering.
(a) Non-Competition. During the period of my employment with the Company (the Employment Period) and the Post-Termination Restricted Period, I shall not, directly or indirectly, individually or on behalf of any person, company, enterprise, or entity, or as a sole proprietor, partner, stockholder, director, officer, principal, agent, or executive, or in any other capacity or relationship, engage in any Competitive Activities within any State of the United States of America and any other jurisdiction in which any member of the Company Group engages (or has committed plans to engage) in business during the Employment Period, or during the Post-Termination Restricted Period, was engaged in business (or had committed plans to engage of which I have knowledge) at the time of termination of my employment; provided, that my indirect ownership (i.e., ownership through a fund that is not controlled by me or any of my affiliates) of not more than three percent (3%) of the outstanding shares of any publicly traded company shall not be deemed to breach of this Section 5(a). For purposes of clarification, this Non-Interference Agreement shall not prohibit me from accepting employment with any entity whose business is diversified but which engages in Competitive Activities, so long as (A) I shall not, directly or indirectly, render services or assistance to any division or part of such entity that is in any way engaged in Competitive Activities, and (B) prior to my rendering services to or assisting such entity, I inform such entity in writing, copying the Companys General Counsel, of my obligations under this Non-Interference Agreement.
(b) Non-Interference. During the Employment Period and the Post-Termination Restricted Period, I shall not, directly or indirectly for my own account or for the account of any other individual or entity, engage in Interfering Activities.
(c) Definitions. For purposes of this agreement:
(i) Competitive Activities shall mean any business activities in which any member of the Company Group is engaged (or has committed plans to engage) during the Employment Period, including without limitation providing market data vending, vended distribution, or vended redistribution services to third parties, providing services or licenses to assist a third party to build a system competing with the Company or the Ticker Plant, or otherwise directly or indirectly provide any service to Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, Activ, SpryWare, Markit, SIX Telekurs, McGraw Hill / S&P, FactSet, Morningstar, or QuantHouse, or their affiliates, spin-offs, or successor entities. For the avoidance of doubt, Competitive Activities shall not be construed so as to including the provision of brokerage, trading, or market-making services to the extent that such services do not include market data vending, vended distribution, or vended redistribution.
(ii) Interfering Activities shall mean (i) encouraging, soliciting, or inducing, or in any manner attempting to encourage, solicit, or induce, any individual employed by, or individual or entity providing consulting services to, any member of the Company Group to terminate such employment or consulting services; provided, that the foregoing shall not be violated by general advertising not targeted at employees or consultants of any member of the Company Group; (ii) hiring any individual who was employed by any member of the Company Group within the six (6) month period prior to the date of such hiring; or (iii) encouraging, soliciting or inducing, or in any manner attempting to encourage, solicit or induce any customer,
supplier, licensee or other business relation of any member of the Company Group to cease doing business with or materially reduce the amount of business conducted with any member of the Company Group, or in any way interfere with the relationship between any such customer, supplier, licensee or business relation and any member of the Company Group.
(iii) Person shall mean any individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust (charitable or non-charitable), unincorporated organization, or other form of business entity.
(iv) Post-Termination Restricted Period shall mean the period commencing on the date of the termination of the Employment Period for any reason and ending on the twenty-four (24) month anniversary of such date of termination.
(d) Other Restrictions. The covenants contained in this Section 5 are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any similar covenants to which I may be subject from time to time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in consideration for executing this Non-Interference Agreement, the Company has agreed to release me, solely in my personal capacity, from the obligations set forth in the first sentence of Section IV.C., and all of Section IV.D., of the NookCo Term Sheet. Other than as explicitly set forth in this Section 5(d), the NookCo Term Sheet shall remain in full force and effect.
Section 6. Reasonableness of Restrictions.
I acknowledge and recognize the highly competitive nature of the Companys business, that access to Confidential Information renders me special and unique within the Companys industry, and that I will have the opportunity to develop substantial relationships with existing and prospective clients, accounts, customers, consultants, contractors, investors, and strategic partners of the Company Group during the course of and as a result of my employment with the Company. In light of the foregoing, I recognize and acknowledge that the restrictions and limitations set forth in this Non-Interference Agreement are reasonable and valid in geographical and temporal scope and in all other respects and are essential to protect the value of the business and assets of the Company Group. I further acknowledge that the restrictions and limitations set forth in this agreement will not materially interfere with my ability to earn a living following the termination of my employment with the Company and that my ability to earn a livelihood without violating such restrictions is a material condition to my employment with the Company.
Section 7. Independence; Severability; Blue Pencil.
Each of the rights enumerated in this Non-Interference Agreement shall be independent of the others and shall be in addition to and not in lieu of any other rights and remedies available to the Company Group at law or in equity. If any of the provisions of this Non-Interference Agreement or any part of any of them is hereafter construed or adjudicated to be invalid or unenforceable, the same shall not affect the remainder of this Non-Interference Agreement, which shall be given full effect without regard to the invalid portions. If any of the covenants contained herein are held to be invalid or unenforceable because of the duration of such provisions or the area or scope covered thereby, I agree that the court making such
determination shall have the power to reduce the duration, scope, and/or area of such provision to the maximum and/or broadest duration, scope, and/or area permissible by law, and in its reduced form said provision shall then be enforceable.
Section 8. Injunctive Relief.
I expressly acknowledge that any breach or threatened breach of any of the terms and/or conditions set forth in this Non-Interference Agreement may result in substantial, continuing, and irreparable injury to the members of the Company Group. Therefore, I hereby agree that, in addition to any other remedy that may be available to the Company, any member of the Company Group shall be entitled to seek injunctive relief, specific performance, or other equitable relief by a court of appropriate jurisdiction in the event of any breach or threatened breach of the terms of this Non-Interference Agreement without the necessity of proving irreparable harm or injury as a result of such breach or threatened breach. Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, I acknowledge and agree that the Post-Termination Restricted Period, as applicable, shall be tolled during any period of violation of any of the covenants in Section 5 hereof.
Section 9. Cooperation.
I agree that, following any termination of my employment, I will continue to provide reasonable cooperation (to the extent that it does not materially interfere with my other business activities at that time) to the Company and/or any other member of the Company Group and its or their respective counsel in connection with any investigation, administrative proceeding, or litigation relating to any matter that occurred during my employment in which I was involved or of which I have knowledge. As a condition of such cooperation, for each day, or part thereof, that I provide assistance to the Company as contemplated hereunder, the Company shall pay me an amount equal to $500. In addition, the Company shall reimburse me for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred at the request of the Company with respect to my compliance with this paragraph. I also agree that, in the event I am subpoenaed by any person or entity (including, but not limited to, any government agency) to give testimony or provide documents (in a deposition, court proceeding, or otherwise), that in any way relates to my employment by the Company and/or any other member of the Company Group, I will give prompt notice of such request to the Company and will make no disclosure, unless otherwise required by a court or applicable law, until the Company and/or the other member of the Company Group has had a reasonable opportunity to contest the right of the requesting person or entity to such disclosure.
Section 10. General Provisions.
(a) Governing Law and Jurisdiction. THIS NON-INTERFERENCE AGREEMENT IS GOVERNED BY AND IS TO BE CONSTRUED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAWS RULES. ANY DISPUTE OR CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS NON-INTERFERENCE AGREEMENT OR CLAIM OF BREACH HEREOF SHALL BE BROUGHT EXCLUSIVELY IN THE FEDERAL COURT IN THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, TO THE EXTENT FEDERAL JURISDICTION EXISTS, AND IN ANY COURT
SITTING IN MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, BUT ONLY IN THE EVENT FEDERAL JURISDICTION DOES NOT EXIST, AND ANY APPLICABLE APPELLATE COURTS. BY EXECUTION OF THE NON-INTERFERENCE AGREEMENT, THE PARTIES HERETO, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES, CONSENT TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF SUCH COURTS, AND WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO CHALLENGE JURISDICTION OR VENUE IN SUCH COURT WITH REGARD TO ANY SUIT, ACTION, OR PROCEEDING UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE NON-INTERFERENCE AGREEMENT. EACH PARTY TO THIS NON-INTERFERENCE AGREEMENT ALSO HEREBY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN CONNECTION WITH ANY SUIT, ACTION, OR PROCEEDING UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS NON-INTERFERENCE AGREEMENT.
(b) Entire Agreement. This Non-Interference Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding between the Company and me relating to the subject matter herein and merges all prior discussions between us. No modification or amendment to this Non-Interference Agreement, nor any waiver of any rights under this Non-Interference Agreement, will be effective unless in writing signed by the party to be charged. Any subsequent change or changes in my duties, obligations, rights, or compensation will not affect the validity or scope of this Non-Interference Agreement.
(c) No Right of Continued Employment. I acknowledge and agree that nothing contained herein shall be construed as granting me any right to continued employment by the Company, and the right of the Company to terminate my employment at any time and for any reason, with or without cause, is specifically reserved.
(d) Successors and Assigns. This Non-Interference Agreement will be binding upon my heirs, executors, administrators, and other legal representatives and will be for the benefit of the Company, its successors, and its assigns. I expressly acknowledge and agree that this Non-Interference Agreement may be assigned by the Company without my consent to any other member of the Company Group as well as any purchaser of all or substantially all of the assets or stock of the Company, whether by purchase, merger, or other similar corporate transaction, provided that the license granted pursuant to Section 2(a) may be assigned to any third party by the Company without my consent.
(e) Survival. The provisions of this Non-Interference Agreement shall survive the termination of my employment with the Company and/or the assignment of this Non-Interference Agreement by the Company to any successor in interest or other assignee.
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I, Alex Goor, have executed this Confidentiality, Non-Interference, and Invention Assignment agreement on the respective date set forth below:
Date: September 15, 2010 | /s/ Alex Goor | |||
(Signature) | ||||
Alex Goor | ||||
(Type/Print Name) |