premise: (b) “Confidential information” refers to and encompasses any information acquired or received by the potential Franchisee from or concerning the Franchisor, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing: i. any information concerning the Franchise, even if this information is known or available to the general public; ii. any information or data concerning the Franchise and the Franchisor; iii. any financial information concerning the Franchise and the Franchisor; iv. the present confidentiality Agreement. 2. Non-disclosure: The potential Franchisee recognizes that any confidential information could be used to the detriment of the Franchisor and the Franchise, and that the Franchisee disclosing any confidential information could cause irreparable damage to the Franchisor and the Franchise.  The potential Franchisee hereby agrees to respect unconditionally the confidential nature of all confidential information and to never disclose or communicate any confidential information to a third party, be it directly or indirectly, or knowingly use this information for any purpose whatsoever, except with the Franchisor’s written consent.  Furthermore, the potential Franchisee agrees to not discuss or communicate any aspect whatsoever of the confidential information, be it directly or indirectly, to any agent, director, employee, or any other representative EXCEPT if these individuals  (i) have been informed of the confidential nature of the information and  (ii) have duly completed and signed the certificate presented in Annex “A”.  The potential Franchisee will be held accountable for any violation of this Agreement committed by their directors, agents, employees, representatives, and other professional representatives. 3. Necessary measures: The potential Franchisee agrees to take the necessary measures to ensure that the provisions of the present Agreement are respected to the same or greater degree that they would reasonably expect the confidentiality of their own information of the same nature to be respected. 4. Return of confidential information: All documents, letters, reports, protocols, notes, journals, drawings, plans, maps, sketches, spreadsheets, data, and any other written material, correspondence, archive, or e-mail (including any electronic material) containing confidential information, as well as any copies of these materials, must be returned by the potential Franchisee upon written request to do so from the Franchisor or at any time at the Franchisor’s discretion. 