Provision Language
Definitions
“Confidential Information” shall mean all Know-How, Development Data or other information of a Party whether or not marked confidential or proprietary, including: (i) all communications between the Parties or information of whatever kind whether recorded or not and, if recorded, in whatever medium, relating to or arising out of this Agreement, whether disclosed prior to or after entering into this Agreement; and (ii) all copies and excerpts of the communications, information, notes, reports and documents in whatever form referred to in paragraph (i) of this definition.
For purposes of the confidentiality obligations set forth herein, (a) GSK Know-How, GSK Materials and GSK Inventions shall be deemed Confidential Information of GSK; and CureVac Know-How, CureVac Materials and CureVac Inventions shall be deemed Confidential Information of CureVac; (b) Confidential Information jointly owned by the Parties shall be deemed Confidential Information of both Parties; and (c) the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall be deemed Confidential Information of both Parties (and both Parties shall be deemed the Receiving Party with respect thereto). “Confidential Information” also includes all information exchanged between the Parties pursuant to the Confidentiality Agreement.
11. Confidentiality
11.1 Obligation of Confidentiality. As at and after the Effective Date, all Confidential Information disclosed, revealed or otherwise made available to one Party or its Affiliates (“Receiving Party”) by or on behalf of the other Party (“Disclosing Party”) under, or as a result of, this Agreement is made available to the Receiving Party solely to permit the Receiving Party to exercise its rights, and perform its obligations, under this Agreement and the 2020 Collaboration Agreement. The Receiving Party shall not use any of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information for any other purpose, and shall not disclose, reveal or otherwise make any of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information available to any other person, firm, corporation or other entity, without the prior written authorization of the Disclosing Party, except as explicitly stated in this Section 11. Without limiting the foregoing no Receiving Party shall be permitted under this Agreement to share any Confidential Information supplied by a Disclosing Party with (i) any Third Party (or such Third Party’s Affiliates) that becomes an Affiliate of that Receiving Party solely as a result of a Change of Control in that Receiving Party or (ii) in the case of CureVac, any Third Party sublicensee under the CureVac Technology (including those identified in item (iii) of the Disclosure Letter).
11.2 Additional Obligations
11.2.1 Appropriate Safeguards. In furtherance of the Receiving Party’s obligations under Section 11.1 hereof, the Receiving Party shall take all reasonable steps, and shall implement all appropriate and reasonable safeguards, to seek to prevent the unauthorized use or disclosure of any of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information. The Parties will jointly agree a protocol with information security measures to be implemented to safeguard secured exchange of Confidential Information and personal information, no later than [*****] after the Closing Date.
11.2.2 Unauthorized Use or Disclosure. The Receiving Party shall furnish the Disclosing Party with written notice immediately of it becoming aware and indicating details of any unauthorized use or disclosure of any of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information by any employee, officer, director, consultant, CRO, CMO, contractors, agent(s), consultant(s), and Sublicensees, or Financial Partner of/the Receiving Party, and shall take all actions reasonably required in order to prevent any further unauthorized use or disclosure of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Receiving Party remains responsible and liable for any unauthorized use by any employee, officer, director, consultant, CRO, CMO, contractors, agent(s), consultant(s), and Sublicensees, or Financial Partner of the Receiving Party.
11.3 Limitations. The Receiving Party’s obligations under Sections 11.1 shall not apply to the extent that the Receiving Party can demonstrate by competent written evidence that any of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information:
(i) is known by the Receiving Party at the time of its receipt, and not through a prior disclosure by or on behalf of the Disclosing Party under this Agreement;
(ii) is in the public domain by use and/or publication before its receipt from the Disclosing Party, or thereafter enters the public domain through no fault of the Receiving Party;
(iii) is subsequently disclosed to the Receiving Party by a Third Party who may lawfully do so and is not under an obligation of confidentiality regarding the Confidential Information; or
(iv) is developed by the Receiving Party independently of Confidential Information or material received from the Disclosing Party.
11.4 Authorized Disclosures
11.4.1 Necessary Disclosures. Each Party may disclose the other Party’s Confidential Information as expressly permitted by this Agreement or if and to the extent such disclosure is reasonably necessary in the following instances:
(i) disclosure to judicial, governmental or other regulatory agencies or authorities in connection with the filing, prosecution, maintenance and defense of Patent Rights as permitted by this Agreement;
(ii) disclosure to judicial, governmental or other regulatory agencies or authorities to gain or maintain approval, authorizations or the like to Develop, Manufacture or Commercialize a given COVID Product that such Party has a license or right to Develop, Manufacture or Commercialize hereunder in a given country or jurisdiction;
(iii) prosecuting or defending litigation as permitted by this Agreement;
(iv) disclosure to its and its Affiliates’ employees, officers, directors, consultants, CROs, CMOs, contractors, agent(s), consultant(s), to Sublicensees (in the case of GSK) or permitted sublicensees (in the case of CureVac) or the LNP Provider, in each case on a need–to–know basis for the purposes as expressly authorized and contemplated by this Agreement, including for the Development, Manufacturing and/or Commercialization of the COVID Products (or for such entities to determine their interest in performing such activities) in accordance with this Agreement, on the condition that such Affiliates or Third Parties agree to be bound by confidentiality and non–use obligations that substantially are no less stringent than those confidentiality and non–use provisions contained in this Agreement;
(v) disclosure to such Party’s attorneys, independent accountants or financial advisors for the sole purpose of enabling such attorneys, independent accountants or financial advisors to provide advice to the Receiving Party, on the condition that such attorneys, independent accountants and financial advisors agree to be bound by the confidentiality and non–use obligations contained in this Agreement; or
(vi) disclosure to any bona fide potential or actual investor, insurer, acquirer, merger partner, Sublicensee (in the case of GSK), or permitted sublicensees (in the case of CureVac) or other bona fide potential or actual financial partner or funding source (“Financial Partner”) solely for the purpose of evaluating or carrying out an actual or potential investment, acquisition, license or collaboration, and to any related persons directly connected with such activity being contemplated with the Financial Partner, such as an advisory firm or investment bank; provided that in connection with such disclosure, the Disclosing Party shall notify each disclosee of the confidential nature of such Confidential Information and disclosure shall be subject to the agreement of each disclosee to be bound by confidentiality and non–use obligations that substantially are no less stringent than those confidentiality and non–use provisions contained in this Agreement;
provided, however, that before the effective date of Option Exercise, First–Gen COVID Vaccine Products Dossiers/Data, may not be disclosed under this Section 11.4.1, unless it is in the public domain through no fault of GSK.
11.4.2 Required Disclosures. If a Party is required by judicial, governmental or administrative process, including to comply with Applicable Laws (including stock exchange rules) or pursuant to Section 11.4.1 to disclose Confidential Information that is subject to the non–disclosure provisions of Section 11.1, such Party shall to the extent reasonably possible provide the other Party with reasonable advance notice of the disclosure that is being sought in order to provide the other Party an opportunity to challenge or limit the disclosure obligations. Confidential Information that is disclosed by judicial, governmental or administrative process shall remain otherwise subject to the confidentiality and non–use provisions of this Section 11, and the Party disclosing Confidential Information pursuant to judicial, governmental or administrative process shall take all steps reasonably necessary, including to seek an order of confidentiality, to ensure the continued confidential treatment of such Confidential Information.
11.5 Survival. All of the Receiving Party’s obligations under this Section 11 hereof, with respect to the protection of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information, shall for a period of [*****]survive the expiry or termination of this Agreement for any reason whatsoever.
11.6 Public Announcements, Press Releases. Except as otherwise expressly permitted in this Agreement, and except as may be required by Applicable Law, including the listing standards or agreements of any national or international securities exchange, neither Party shall issue any press release or public statement disclosing information relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby or the terms hereof without the prior written consent of the other Party, not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed. Each Party may repeat any information relating to this Agreement that has already been publicly disclosed in accordance with this Section 11.6, provided such information continues at such time to be accurate.