premise: 4. The terms of this Agreement shall not be construed to limit either Party’s right to develop independently or acquire products without use of the other Party’s Confidential Information.  The disclosing party acknowledges that the Recipient may currently or in the future be developing information internally, or receiving information from other parties, that is similar to the Confidential Information.  Nothing in this Agreement will prohibit the Recipient from developing or having developed for it products, concepts, systems or techniques that are similar to or compete with the products, concepts, systems or techniques contemplated by or embodied in the Confidential Information provided that the Recipient does not violate any of its obligations under this Agreement in connection with such development. 5. Notwithstanding the above, the Parties agree that information shall not be deemed Confidential Information and the Recipient shall have no obligation to hold in confidence such information, where such information: (a) Is already known to the Recipient, having been disclosed to the Recipient by a third party without such third party having an obligation of confidentiality to the disclosing Party; or (b) Is or becomes publicly known through no wrongful act of the Recipient, its employees, officers, directors, or agents; or (c) Is independently developed by the Recipient without reference to any Confidential Information disclosed hereunder; or