Engagement Terms
1. Purchase & Payment
1.1 Invoicing Terms. Upon execution of this Agreement, PreScouter will deliver an invoice to Client for the full amount of the Fees. Payment terms are Net 30. Incremental or split invoicing will require a 5-8% premium on quoted fees.
1.2 Client may make payments via ACH, wire, check, or credit card. Client shall be responsible for paying any fees related to funds transfer. Credit card payments are subject to an additional 3.5% surcharge that the Client agrees to pay.
2. Confidential Information
If a confidentiality agreement has already been executed between PreScouter and Client, then the terms of that agreement will prevail over this section.
2.1 “Confidential Information” means all information, in whatever form, furnished by one party (the “Disclosing Party”) to the other party (the “Receiving Party”) orally or in writing and identified as confidential or proprietary at the time of disclosure, or that by its nature should reasonably be assumed to be confidential or proprietary, including, but not limited to: business information; financial information; marketing techniques and materials; business plans and strategies; business operation and systems; pricing policies; information concerning employees, customers, and/or vendors; discoveries; improvements; research; development; know-how; designs; products and services; opportunities; methods and procedures; and equipment, physical materials and manufacturing processes. PreScouter Property and PreScouter Intellectual Property Rights are expressly considered Confidential Information.
2.2 Each party agrees not to use and/or disclose Confidential Information received from the other party regarding each other’s processes and procedures except as allowed under these Terms.
2.3 Each party will not disclose Confidential Information to any third party, other than to its directors, officers, and employees under a duty of confidentiality, without the other party’s prior written consent. Each party shall maintain the Confidential Information of the other party in confidence using at least the same degree of care as it employs in maintaining in confidence its own proprietary and confidential information, but in no event less than a reasonable degree of care. PreScouter shall be allowed to disclose Confidential Information to its Affiliates, consultants, vendors or subcontractors who are necessary to provide services to Client, provided that any such Affiliates, consultants, vendors or subcontractors are bound by confidentiality obligations at least as restrictive as those contained in these Terms.
2.4 The confidentiality obligations of each party shall continue in force and survive the termination or expiration of the applicable Agreement Period for a period of three (3) years following such termination or expiration. The confidentiality obligations with respect to any Confidential Information subject to trade secret protection will continue indefinitely.
2.5 The Disclosing Party grants no license under any copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret by the disclosure of the Confidential Information. The parties understand and acknowledge that any and all Confidential Information is being provided by the Disclosing Party without any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of such Confidential Information.
2.6 Confidential Information shall not include information which (i) was already known by the Receiving Party at the time of the disclosure by the Disclosing Party, (ii) shall have otherwise become publicly available other than as a result of disclosure by the Receiving Party in breach of these Terms, (iii) was disclosed to the Receiving Party on a non-confidential basis from a third party source other than the Disclosing Party, which the Receiving Party reasonably believes is not prohibited from disclosing such information as a result of an obligation in favor of the Disclosing Party, (iv) is developed by the Receiving Party independently of any disclosure of such information made by the Disclosing Party, or (v) is required to be disclosed by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or by subpoena, summons or any other legal process, or by applicable professional standards; provided that, in the event that the Receiving Party is ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction, administrative agency or governmental body to disclose any Confidential Information, the Receiving Party shall (a) so long as legally permissible, promptly notify the Disclosing Party of such order and (b) at the written request of the Disclosing Party, diligently contest such order at the sole expense of the Disclosing Party as expenses occur.
3. Intellectual Property
3.1 “Intellectual Property Rights” means all patents (including all reissues, divisions, continuations, and extensions thereof) and patent applications, trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos, trade dress, copyrights, trade secrets, mask works, rights in technology, know-how, rights in content (including performance and synchronization rights), unregistered design, or other intellectual property rights that are in each case protected under the laws of any governmental authority, whether or not registered, and all applications, renewals and extensions of the same.
3.2 “Client Property” means any data, information, or other material provided by or on behalf of Client to PreScouter; provided, however, Client Property shall not include any PreScouter Property or PreScouter Intellectual Property Rights.
3.3 “PreScouter Property” means all of the following without limitation created or owned by PreScouter or its Affiliates, or its licensors, whether pre-existing or independently created during the Term of this agreement (as defined in section 7.2): all Materials, websites, software, tools, URLs and links, databases, designs, algorithms, user interface designs, architecture, class libraries, objects and documentation, network-design, know how, technology and source code and all portions, subsets or derivatives thereof, any improvements, modifications, upgrades or other changes thereto; and any and all derivative works created by PreScouter or its Affiliates.
3.4 The Client shall obtain and maintain all Intellectual Property Rights in and to the customized deliverables (“Intelligence Briefs”) delivered by PreScouter. Client shall be granted an exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, fully-paid, worldwide license to use the Intelligence Briefs. PreScouter and its licensors shall remain the sole and exclusive owner of all equipment, software, processes, and the like used in connection with fulfilling the SOW and generating the Intelligence Briefs.
3.5 PreScouter will retain all Intellectual Property Rights (i) in and to the PreScouter Property or (ii) otherwise owned by or licensed to PreScouter or its Affiliates by their respective licensors.
3.6 PreScouter shall have the right to use any and all public information, including information gained through interviews with subjects of investigations, used to generate the Intelligence Briefs.
3.7 PreScouter shall take all necessary and appropriate action to ensure that the Intelligence Briefs or any other items which it shall prepare shall not violate or infringe upon any patent, trademark or copyright, or any other right of any person, corporation, or other entity.
4. Indemnification
4.1 Client shall indemnify and hold PreScouter, and its Affiliates, successors, officers, directors, and employees harmless from any loss for personal injury, including death, at any time resulting therefore, or for damage to property arising out of or in connection with the performance or breach of these terms no matter how such loss arises, whether by acts or omissions, except to the extent such loss is due solely to PreScouter’s negligence or willful misconduct.
5. Limitation of Liability
5.1 Each party’s aggregate liability arising out of, or relating to, this Agreement (whether in contract or tort or other legal theory) shall not exceed the amount of Fees paid by Client to PreScouter pursuant to this Agreement. In no event shall either party be liable to the other, for any special, consequential, punitive or other indirect damages (including, but not limited to, lost revenues or profits), whether or not notified of such damages. This paragraph shall survive termination or expiration of this Agreement.
6. Non-Solicitation
6.1 During the term of this Agreement and for a period of twelve (12) months after this Agreement terminates, neither party will, either directly or indirectly, solicit for employment or employ any employee or contractor of the other party who was involved in the performance of the party’s obligations under this Agreement, unless the hiring party obtains written consent of the other party. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, any such employment may be permitted under both the Consulting agreement and this Agreement provided that (a) Client notifies PreScouter prior to any such direct or indirect solicitation by Client (or Client’s affiliate, as the case may be), and (b) any such employment shall be subject to an agreement between Client and PreScouter, or a PreScouter affiliate designated by PreScouter.
7. Miscellaneous
7.1 The terms herein shall prevail over any inconsistent statements or provisions contained in any purchase order, bill, or other writing passing between the parties unless agreed to in writing by both Parties, or unless otherwise specified within this Agreement.
7.2 These Terms and Conditions will be valid for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of signed acceptance of this document.