The Executive acknowledges and agrees that his work for the Employers will bring him into close contact with many confidential affairs of the Employers not readily available to the public, including plans for further developments or activities by the Employers or their subsidiaries or affiliates. The Executive agrees that during the Employment Period and at all times thereafter, he shall keep and retain in the strictest confidence all confidential matters (“ Confidential Information ”) of the Employers and their subsidiaries and affiliates, including but not limited to, “know how,” sales and marketing information or plans; business or strategic plans; salary, bonus or other personnel information; information about or concerning existing, new or potential customers, franchisees, clients or shareholders; trade secrets; pricing policies; operational methods; technical processes; inventions and research projects; and other business affairs of the Employers and their subsidiaries or affiliates, in each case that the Executive may develop or learn in the course of his employment, and shall not remove such Confidential Information from the Employers’ premises (other than for the purpose of working from home), use such Confidential Information for personal gain or disclose such Confidential Information to anyone outside of the Employers, either during or after the Employment Period, except (i) in good faith, in the course of performing his duties under this Agreement; (ii) with the prior written consent of the Board; (iii) it being understood that Confidential Information shall not be deemed to include any information that is or becomes generally available to the public other than as a result of disclosure by the Executive; or (iv) to the extent disclosure is compelled by a court of competent jurisdiction, arbitrator, agency, or other tribunal or investigative body in accordance with any applicable statute, rule or regulation (but only to the extent any such disclosure is compelled, and no further). Further, nothing herein shall prevent the Executive from cooperating with any investigation or inquiry conducted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regarding any employment practice or policy of the Employers. In addition, pursuant to Section 7 of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (which added 18 U.S.C. § 1833(b)), the Executive acknowledges that he shall not have criminal or civil liability under any federal or state trade secret law, and nothing herein prohibits, for the disclosure of a trade secret or Confidential Information 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.  Nothing in this Agreement is intended to conflict with 18 U.S.C. § 1833(b) or create liability for disclosures of trade secrets that are expressly allowed by such Section. Upon the termination of the Executive’s employment with the Employers, or at any time the Employers may so request, the Executive shall return to the Employers all tangible embodiments (in whatever medium) relating to Confidential Information and Work Product (as hereinafter defined) that he may then possess or have under his control.