Document:

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                                                                    Exhibit 10.1

                            INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
                            -------------------------

        This Indemnification Agreement (the "Agreement") is made as of
_______________, by and between Ventro Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and _________ (the "Indemnitee").

                                    RECITALS
                                    --------

        The Company and Indemnitee recognize the increasing difficulty in
obtaining liability insurance for directors, officers and key employees, the
significant increases in the cost of such insurance and the general reductions
in the coverage of such insurance. The Company and Indemnitee further recognize
the substantial increase in corporate litigation in general, subjecting
directors, officers and key employees to expensive litigation risks at the same
time as the availability and coverage of liability insurance has been severely
limited. Indemnitee does not regard the current protection available as adequate
under the present circumstances, and Indemnitee and agents of the Company may
not be willing to continue to serve as agents of the Company without additional
protection. The Company desires to attract and retain the services of highly
qualified individuals, such as Indemnitee, and to indemnify its directors,
officers and key employees so as to provide them with the maximum protection
permitted by law.

                                    AGREEMENT
                                    ---------

        In consideration of the mutual promises made in this Agreement, and for
other good and valuable consideration, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged,
the Company and Indemnitee hereby agree as follows:

        1. INDEMNIFICATION.

               (a) THIRD PARTY PROCEEDINGS. The Company shall indemnify
Indemnitee if Indemnitee is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party
to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether
civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in
the right of the Company) by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or any subsidiary of the
Company, by reason of any action or inaction on the part of Indemnitee while an
officer or director or by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was serving
at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of
another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise,
against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid
in settlement (if such settlement is approved in advance by the Company, which
approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) actually and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if Indemnitee
acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or
not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any
criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe Indemnitee's
conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by
judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or
its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that Indemnitee did
not act in good faith and in a manner which Indemnitee reasonably believed to be
in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, or, with respect to any
criminal action or proceeding, that Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe
that Indemnitee's conduct was unlawful.

               (b) PROCEEDINGS BY OR IN THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY. The Company
shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is a party or is threatened to
be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding by
or in the right of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company to procure a
judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or any subsidiary of the
Company, by reason of any action or inaction on the part of Indemnitee while an
officer or director or by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was serving
at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of
another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise,
against expenses (including attorneys' fees) and, to the fullest extent
permitted by law, amounts paid in settlement (if such settlement is

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approved in advance by the Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably
withheld), in each case to the extent actually and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit
if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed
to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and its
stockholders, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any
claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally
adjudicated by court order or judgment to be liable to the Company in the
performance of Indemnitee's duty to the Company and its stockholders unless and
only to the extent that the court in which such action or proceeding is or was
pending shall determine upon application that, in view of all the circumstances
of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such
expenses which such court shall deem proper.

               (c) MANDATORY PAYMENT OF EXPENSES. To the extent that Indemnitee
has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or
proceeding referred to in Section 1(a) or Section 1(b) or the defense of any
claim, issue or matter therein, Indemnitee shall be indemnified against expenses
(including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in
connection therewith.

        2. NO EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS. Nothing contained in this Agreement is intended
to create in Indemnitee any right to continued employment.

        3. EXPENSES; INDEMNIFICATION PROCEDURE.

               (a) ADVANCEMENT OF EXPENSES. The Company shall advance all
expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the investigation, defense,
settlement or appeal of any civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding
referred to in Section l(a) or Section 1(b) hereof (including amounts actually
paid in settlement of any such action, suit or proceeding). Indemnitee hereby
undertakes to repay such amounts advanced only if, and to the extent that, it
shall ultimately be determined that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified
by the Company as authorized hereby.

               (b) NOTICE/COOPERATION BY INDEMNITEE. Indemnitee shall, as a
condition precedent to his or her right to be indemnified under this Agreement,
give the Company notice in writing as soon as practicable of any claim made
against Indemnitee for which indemnification will or could be sought under this
Agreement. Notice to the Company shall be directed to the Chief Executive
Officer of the Company and shall be given in accordance with the provisions of
Section 12(d) below. In addition, Indemnitee shall give the Company such
information and cooperation as it may reasonably require and as shall be within
Indemnitee's power.

               (c) PROCEDURE. Any indemnification and advances provided for in
Section 1 and this Section 3 shall be made no later than twenty (20) days after
receipt of the written request of Indemnitee. If a claim under this Agreement,
under any statute, or under any provision of the Company's Certificate of
Incorporation or Bylaws providing for indemnification, is not paid in full by
the Company within twenty (20) days after a written request for payment thereof
has first been received by the Company, Indemnitee may, but need not, at any
time thereafter bring an action against the Company to recover the unpaid amount
of the claim and, subject to Section 11 of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall also
be entitled to be paid for the expenses (including attorneys' fees) of bringing
such action. It shall be a defense to any such action (other than an action
brought to enforce a claim for expenses incurred in connection with any action,
suit or proceeding in advance of its final disposition) that Indemnitee has not
met the standards of conduct which make it permissible under applicable law for
the Company to indemnify Indemnitee for the amount claimed, but the burden of
proving such defense shall be on the Company and Indemnitee shall be entitled to
receive interim payments of expenses pursuant to Section 3(a) unless and until
such defense may be finally adjudicated by court order or judgment from which no
further right of appeal exists. It is the parties' intention that if the Company
contests Indemnitee's right to indemnification, the question of Indemnitee's
right to indemnification shall be for the court to decide, and neither the
failure of the Company (including its Board of Directors, any committee or
subgroup of the Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its
stockholders) to have made a determination that indemnification of Indemnitee is
proper in the circumstances because Indemnitee has met the applicable standard
of conduct required by applicable law, nor an actual determination by the
Company (including its Board of Directors, any committee or subgroup of the
Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) that
Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall create a
presumption that Indemnitee has or has not met the applicable standard of
conduct.

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               (d) NOTICE TO INSURERS. If, at the time of the receipt of a
notice of a claim pursuant to Section 3(b) hereof, the Company has director and
officer liability insurance in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of
the commencement of such proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the
procedures set forth in the respective policies. The Company shall thereafter
take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf
of the Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in
accordance with the terms of such policies.

               (e) SELECTION OF COUNSEL. In the event the Company shall be
obligated under Section 3(a) hereof to pay the expenses of any proceeding
against Indemnitee, the Company, if appropriate, shall be entitled to assume the
defense of such proceeding, with counsel approved by Indemnitee, upon the
delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election so to do. After
delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the
retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to
Indemnitee under this Agreement for any fees of counsel subsequently incurred by
Indemnitee with respect to the same proceeding, provided that (i) Indemnitee
shall have the right to employ counsel in any such proceeding at Indemnitee's
expense; and (ii) if (A) the employment of counsel by Indemnitee has been
previously authorized by the Company, (B) Indemnitee shall have reasonably
concluded that there may be a conflict of interest between the Company and
Indemnitee in the conduct of any such defense or (C) the Company shall not, in
fact, have employed counsel to assume the defense of such proceeding, then the
fees and expenses of Indemnitee's counsel shall be at the expense of the
Company.

        4. ADDITIONAL INDEMNIFICATION RIGHTS; NONEXCLUSIVITY.

               (a) SCOPE. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
the Company hereby agrees to indemnify the Indemnitee to the fullest extent
permitted by law, notwithstanding that such indemnification is not specifically
authorized by the other provisions of this Agreement, the Company's Certificate
of Incorporation, the Company's Bylaws or by statute. In the event of any
change, after the date of this Agreement, in any applicable law, statute, or
rule which expands the right of a Delaware corporation to indemnify a member of
its board of directors or an officer, such changes shall be deemed to be within
the purview of Indemnitee's rights and the Company's obligations under this
Agreement. In the event of any change in any applicable law, statute or rule
which narrows the right of a Delaware corporation to indemnify a member of its
board of directors or an officer, such changes, to the extent not otherwise
required by such law, statute or rule to be applied to this Agreement shall have
no effect on this Agreement or the parties' rights and obligations hereunder.

               (b) NONEXCLUSIVITY. The indemnification provided by this
Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any rights to which Indemnitee may be
entitled under the Company's Certificate of Incorporation, its Bylaws, any
agreement, any vote of stockholders or disinterested members of the Company's
Board of Directors, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or
otherwise, both as to action in Indemnitee's official capacity and as to action
in another capacity while holding such office. The indemnification provided
under this Agreement shall continue as to Indemnitee for any action taken or not
taken while serving in an indemnified capacity even though he or she may have
ceased to serve in any such capacity at the time of any action, suit or other
covered proceeding.

               (c) SETTLEMENT. The Company shall not settle any Proceeding
without the Indemnitee's prior written consent unless the settlement does not
impose an injunction or other equitable relief upon Indemnitee, does not admit
to any wrongdoing, fault or culpability by the Indemnitee and results in the
unconditional release of the Indemnitee with respect to all claims related to
the Proceeding.

        5. PARTIAL INDEMNIFICATION. If Indemnitee is entitled under any
provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a
portion of the expenses, judgments, fines or penalties actually or reasonably
incurred in the investigation, defense, appeal or settlement of any civil or
criminal action, suit or proceeding, but not, however, for the total amount
thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion of
such expenses, judgments, fines or penalties to which Indemnitee is entitled.

        6. MUTUAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT. Both the Company and Indemnitee acknowledge
that in certain instances, Federal law or public policy may override applicable
state law and prohibit the Company from indemnifying its directors and officers
under this Agreement or otherwise. For example, the Company and Indemnitee
acknowledge that the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") has taken
the position that indemnification is not permissible for liabilities arising
under certain federal securities laws, and federal legislation prohibits
indemnification for certain ERISA violations. Indemnitee understands and
acknowledges that the Company has

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undertaken or may be required in the future to undertake with the SEC to submit
the question of indemnification to a court in certain circumstances for a
determination of the Company's right under public policy to indemnify
Indemnitee.

        7. OFFICER AND DIRECTOR LIABILITY INSURANCE. The Company shall, from
time to time, make the good faith determination whether or not it is practicable
for the Company to obtain and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with
reputable insurance companies providing the officers and directors of the
Company with coverage for losses from wrongful acts, or to ensure the Company's
performance of its indemnification obligations under this Agreement. Among other
considerations, the Company will weigh the costs of obtaining such insurance
coverage against the protection afforded by such coverage. In all policies of
director and officer liability insurance, Indemnitee shall be named as an
insured in such a manner as to provide Indemnitee the same rights and benefits
as are accorded to the most favorably insured of the Company's directors, if
Indemnitee is a director; or of the Company's officers, if Indemnitee is not a
director of the Company but is an officer; or of the Company's key employees, if
Indemnitee is not an officer or director but is a key employee. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Company shall have no obligation to obtain or maintain such
insurance if the Company determines in good faith that such insurance is not
reasonably available, if the premium costs for such insurance are
disproportionate to the amount of coverage provided, if the coverage provided by
such insurance is limited by exclusions so as to provide an insufficient
benefit, or if Indemnitee is covered by similar insurance maintained by a parent
or subsidiary of the Company.

        8. SEVERABILITY. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to require or
shall be construed as requiring the Company to do or fail to do any act in
violation of applicable law. The Company's inability, pursuant to court order,
to perform its obligations under this Agreement shall not constitute a breach of
this Agreement. The provisions of this Agreement shall be severable as provided
in this Section 8. If this Agreement or any portion hereof shall be invalidated
on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall
nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee to the full extent permitted by any applicable
portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated, and the balance
of this Agreement not so invalidated shall be enforceable in accordance with its
terms.

        9. EXCEPTIONS. Any other provision herein to the contrary
notwithstanding, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to the terms of
this Agreement:

               (a) CLAIMS INITIATED BY INDEMNITEE. To indemnify or advance
expenses to Indemnitee with respect to proceedings or claims initiated or
brought voluntarily by Indemnitee and not by way of defense, except with respect
to proceedings brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification under
this Agreement or any other statute or law or otherwise as required under
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, but such indemnification or
advancement of expenses may be provided by the Company in specific cases if the
Board of Directors finds it to be appropriate;

               (b) LACK OF GOOD FAITH. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses
incurred by Indemnitee with respect to any proceeding instituted by Indemnitee
to enforce or interpret this Agreement, if a court of competent jurisdiction
determines that each of the material assertions made by Indemnitee in such
proceeding was not made in good faith or was frivolous;

               (c) INSURED CLAIMS. To indemnify Indemnitee for expenses or
liabilities of any type whatsoever (including, but not limited to, judgments,
fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties, and amounts paid in settlement) to the
extent such expenses or liabilities have been paid directly to Indemnitee by an
insurance carrier under a policy of officers' and directors' liability insurance
maintained by the Company; or

               (d) CLAIMS UNDER SECTION 16(B). To indemnify Indemnitee for
expenses or the payment of profits arising from the purchase and sale by
Indemnitee of securities in violation of Section 16(b) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any similar successor statute.

        10. CONSTRUCTION OF CERTAIN PHRASES.

               (a) For purposes of this Agreement, references to the "Company"
shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent
corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a
consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would
have had power and authority to

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indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that if
Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent
corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation
as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership,
joint venture, trust or other enterprise, Indemnitee shall stand in the same
position under the provisions of this Agreement with respect to the resulting or
surviving corporation as Indemnitee would have with respect to such constituent
corporation if its separate existence had continued.

               (b) For purposes of this Agreement, references to "other
enterprises" shall include employee benefit plans; references to "fines" shall
include any excise taxes assessed on Indemnitee with respect to an employee
benefit plan; and references to "serving at the request of the Company" shall
include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company
which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer,
employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants, or
beneficiaries; and if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee
reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries
of an employee benefit plan, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in a
manner "not opposed to the best interests of the Company" as referred to in this
Agreement.

        11. ATTORNEYS' FEES. In the event that any action is instituted by
Indemnitee under this Agreement to enforce or interpret any of the terms hereof,
Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid all court costs and expenses, including
reasonable attorneys' fees, incurred by Indemnitee with respect to such action,
unless as a part of such action, the court of competent jurisdiction determines
that each of the material assertions made by Indemnitee as a basis for such
action were not made in good faith or were frivolous. In the event of an action
instituted by or in the name of the Company under this Agreement or to enforce
or interpret any of the terms of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be entitled to
be paid all court costs and expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred by
Indemnitee in defense of such action (including with respect to Indemnitee's
counterclaims and cross-claims made in such action), unless as a part of such
action the court determines that each of Indemnitee's material defenses to such
action were made in bad faith or were frivolous.

        12. MISCELLANEOUS.

               (a) GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement and all acts and transactions
pursuant hereto and the rights and obligations of the parties hereto shall be
governed, construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of
Delaware, without giving effect to principles of conflict of law.

               (b) ENTIRE AGREEMENT; ENFORCEMENT OF RIGHTS. This Agreement sets
forth the entire agreement and understanding of the parties relating to the
subject matter herein and merges all prior discussions between them. No
modification of or amendment to this Agreement, nor any waiver of any rights
under this Agreement, shall be effective unless in writing signed by the parties
to this Agreement. The failure by either party to enforce any rights under this
Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any rights of such party.

               (c) CONSTRUCTION. This Agreement is the result of negotiations
between and has been reviewed by each of the parties hereto and their respective
counsel, if any; accordingly, this Agreement shall be deemed to be the product
of all of the parties hereto, and no ambiguity shall be construed in favor of or
against any one of the parties hereto.

               (d) NOTICES. Any notice, demand or request required or permitted
to be given under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed
sufficient when delivered personally or sent by telegram or forty-eight (48)
hours after being deposited in the U.S. mail, as certified or registered mail,
with postage prepaid, and addressed to the party to be notified at such party's
address as set forth below or as subsequently modified by written notice.

               (e) COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in two or more
counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of which
together shall constitute one instrument.

               (f) SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS. This Agreement shall be binding upon
the Company and its successors and assigns, and inure to the benefit of
Indemnitee and Indemnitee's heirs, legal representatives and assigns.

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               (g) SUBROGATION. In the event of payment under this Agreement,
the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the
rights of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall execute all documents required and
shall do all acts that may be necessary to secure such rights and to enable the
Company to effectively bring suit to enforce such rights.

        The parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the day and year
set forth on the first page of this Agreement.

                                        VENTRO CORPORATION

                                        By:____________________________

                                        Name:__________________________
                                        Title:_________________________
                                        Address  1500 Plymouth Street
                                        Mountain View, CA  94043

AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED:

Name

-----------------------------
(Signature)

Address:
        ----------------------

        ----------------------

        ----------------------<PAGE>   1
                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.7

[VENTRO LOGO]

                              CONSULTANT AGREEMENT

     This Agreement is made and entered into as of the first day of December,
2000, by and between Ventro Corporation, a Delaware corporation, having its
principal office at 1500 Plymouth Street, Mountain View, California, 94043,
("Ventro"), and Pierre Samec. ("Consultant")

1.   SERVICES, PAYMENT AND TERM. Consultant shall provide Ventro and all other
     affiliated companies with the Services, and Ventro shall pay for the
     Services, for such term, per the attached Exhibit A.

2.   CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION.

     (a)  Consultant acknowledges that his Employee Confidentiality Agreement
          effective during the term of employment at Ventro, as attached hereto
          as Exhibit B, shall remain in effect for the duration of this
          Consulting Agreement.

3.   RELATIONSHIP OF CONSULTANT TO VENTRO.

     (a)  Consultant is an Independent Contractor and is solely responsible for
          all taxes, withholdings and other similar statutory obligations,
          including, but not limited to, Workers' Compensation Insurance.
          Consultant has no authority to act on behalf of or to enter into any
          contract, incur any liability or make any representation on behalf of
          Ventro.

     (b)  Consultant understands and agrees that it shall not be treated as an
          employee of Ventro or any of its affiliates for any purpose,
          including for purposes of receiving certain fringe benefits provided
          by Ventro, which are excluded from an employee's income, and thus are
          not subject to tax. These benefits are statutory exclusions provided
          under Internal Revenue Code Sections 79 (relating to group term life
          insurance), 101(b) relating to employee death benefits), 104, 105,
          and 106 (relating to employee accident and health plans), 120
          (relating to group legal services plans), 127 (relating to
          educational assistance plans) and under those portions of subtitle A
          relating to contributions to or under a pension or profit sharing
          plan, including with respect to distributions under such plan or by a
          trust forming part of such plan.

     (c)  Also, Consultant understands and agrees that it shall not be treated
          as an employee for purposes of laws providing for disability income,
          social security taxes and benefits, and Federal Withholding at
          sources. Furthermore, Consultant understands and agrees that it shall
          not be treated as an employee for purposes of certain benefits that
          include, but are not limited, to leaves of absences, sick leave,
          disability, vacations and tuition assistance.

4.   COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS. Consultant agrees to comply with all applicable
     federal, state, county and local laws, ordinances, regulations and codes
     in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including but
     not limited to the procurement of permits and certificates where required.

                                       1

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5.   COMPLIANCE WITH EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND NON-DISCRIMINATION LAWS. Consultant
     agrees that this Agreement is subject to applicable federal, state and
     local laws, regulations and executive orders relating to equal opportunity
     and non-discrimination in employment. Neither Consultant nor its agents
     and subcontractors shall discriminate in their employment practices
     against any person by reason of race, religion, color, sex or national
     origin. Consultant agrees to comply and to cause its agents and
     subcontractors to comply, with the provision of said laws, orders and
     regulations, as well as other laws, orders and regulations relating to any
     other legally protected category or class, and to the employment of the
     handicapped, the employment of veterans, and the use of minority business
     enterprises, to the extent any such laws, orders and regulations are
     applicable in the performance of their work or furnishing of services
     hereunder. For the purpose of this Agreement, the provisions of such laws,
     orders and regulations shall be deemed an integral part of this Agreement.

6.   TAXES. Consultant shall be solely liable for (i) any and all federal,
     state and local taxes based on or measured by Consultant's income or
     receipts, including sales and use taxes; and (ii) Self Employment
     Contributions Act ("SECA") taxes.

     Consultant shall be solely liable for any and all Federal Insurance
     Contributions Act ("FUTA") and State Unemployment Insurance ("SUI")
     contributions. Consultant shall withhold at source applicable federal,
     state and local income taxes, and employee's share of FICA.

     Ventro shall have no liability for and no obligation to withhold at
     source any federal, state or local income tax, or Consultant's portion of
     FICA; provided, however, that nothing contained in this Agreement shall
     prevent Ventro from imposing backup withholding tax as required by law or
     regulations on reportable payments to non-exempt contractors, or from
     withholding tax on United States source payments to non-United States
     persons as required by applicable law or regulations. For purposes of this
     Agreement, "Taxes" shall mean federal, state and local income taxes, FICA,
     FUTA, SECA, SUI and withholding taxes.

     Consultant shall timely file all applicable Tax returns, including income
     tax returns, employment tax returns and information returns required by
     law, in a manner consistent with its status as an Independent Contractor
     of Services and as employer of individual personnel assigned under this
     Agreement. Consultant shall make all required payments and deposits of
     Taxes in a timely manner.

     Consultant shall cooperate fully in the defense of any claim by any
     federal, state or local government authority against Ventro and any of its
     subsidiaries or affiliates, regarding Taxes assessed with respect to
     Consultant or any individual assigned by Consultant to provide Services
     under this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, and only upon
     Ventro providing evidence of said tax audit initiated by a government
     authority, Consultant shall, upon request by Ventro, promptly furnish to
     said government authority upon request by Ventro (only as relating to
     Consultant's employment hereunder), (i) documentary evidence of income
     tax returns and other filings, and (ii) proof of payment of Taxes by
     Consultant.

     Consultant shall indemnify and hold Ventro and its subsidiaries and its
     affiliates harmless from and against (i) all taxes, additions to tax,
     penalties and interest thereon assessed by any federal,

                                       2
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     state or local governmental authority against Ventro and its subsidiaries
     or affiliates and (ii) all liabilities, costs and expenses including
     reasonable attorneys fees incurred in the defense of any such assessment.

     This Section 6 shall survive this Agreement and remain in effect until the
     statute of limitations including extensions thereof for all claims by
     federal, state or local government authorities against Ventro and its
     subsidiaries and affiliates for Taxes expire.

7.   GENERAL PROVISIONS.

     (a)  PARAGRAPH HEADINGS. Paragraph headings are for convenience only and
          shall not be a part of the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

     (b)  WAIVER. Failure by either party at any time to enforce any obligation
          by the other party, to claim a breach of any term of this Agreement
          or to exercise any power agreed to hereunder will not be construed
          as a waiver of any right, power or obligation under this Agreement,
          will not affect any subsequent breach, and will not prejudice either
          party as regards any subsequent action.

     (c)  SEVERABILITY. If any term or provision of this Agreement should be
          declared invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining
          terms and provisions of this Agreement shall remain unimpaired and in
          full force and effect.

     (d)  SUBCONTRACTORS. Ventro reserves the right of approval of all
          subcontractors who will service Ventro; such approval will not be
          unreasonably withheld by Ventro. Approval of any subcontractor shall
          not constitute the superseding or waiver of any right of Ventro or
          the Consultant to reject work that is not in conformance with its
          standards or this Agreement. Consultant shall be fully responsible
          for all acts and omissions of its subcontractors. Nothing in this
          Agreement shall be construed to create any contractual relationship
          between Ventro and any subcontractor, nor any obligation on the part
          of Ventro to pay or to see the payment of any money due any
          subcontractor, except as may otherwise be required by law.

     (e)  ASSIGNMENT. This Agreement may not be assigned, in whole or in part,
          by either party hereto without the prior written consent of the
          other party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
          Nothing contained herein shall prevent the use by, or the assignment
          of this Agreement by Ventro to its parent, any of its subsidiaries or
          affiliates, or any successor in interest who agrees to be bound by
          the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

     (f)  MODIFICATION. No modification, waiver or amendment of any term or
          condition of this Agreement shall be effective unless and until it
          shall be reduced to writing and signed by both of the parties hereto
          or their legal representatives.

          All legally required Amendments will automatically become part of
          this Agreement thirty (30) days after notification to both parties.

                                       3

<PAGE>   4
(g)  SURVIVAL. In addition to those provisions of this Agreement which by their
     terms survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement, the
     provisions of this Agreement which by their nature and content are
     intended to survive the performance hereof, shall so survive the
     completion or termination of this Agreement.

(h)  GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in
     accordance with the laws of the State of California as if the Agreement
     were made in California for performance entirely within the State of
     California.

(i)  COMPLETE AGREEMENT. This Agreement, together with all Exhibits,
     Attachments, and Appendices hereto is the entire Agreement and expresses
     the complete understanding of the parties with regard to the subject
     matter herein and may not be altered, amended or modified except in a
     writing incorporated hereto, and signed by the parties. A waiver of any
     portion of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver or renunciation of
     other portions. There are no other agreements either express or implied
     with regard to the subject matter of this Agreement.

(j)  NOTICES. Any notice required or permitted to be given by either party
     under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be personally delivered
     or sent by certified or registered letter, by telecopy, by a courier
     service, or by electronic mail to the other party at its address first set
     forth above, or such new address as may from time to time be supplied by
     the parties. If mailed, notices will be deemed effective three (3) working
     days after deposit, postage prepaid, in the mail. If sent by telecopy,
     courier, or electronic mail, notices will be deemed effective upon
     confirmation of receipt by addressee. A copy of any notice must also be
     sent to Ventro's General Counsel:

(k)  In case of any conflict between the Termination of Employment Agreement
     and Release and this Consultant Agreement, the Termination of Employment
     Agreement and Release shall prevail. In case of any conflict between the
     Employee Confidentiality Agreement and this Consulting Agreement, the
     Employee Confidentiality Agreement shall prevail.

                              General Counsel
                              Ventro Corporation
                              1500 Plymouth Street
                              Mountain View, CA 94043

                                       4
<PAGE>   5
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the
date first written.

VENTRO CORPORATION                        PIERRE SAMEC

/s/ SHERI PARKER                          /s/ PIERRE SAMEC
--------------------------------------    -------------------------------------
Signature                                 Signature

    Sheri Parker
--------------------------------------
Printed Name

                                       5
<PAGE>   6
                                   EXHIBIT A

              SEE TERMINATION AND EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT AND RELEASE
              ----------------------------------------------------
                           FOR PIERRE SAMEC ATTACHED
                           -------------------------

                                       6
<PAGE>   7
                      TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
                                  AND RELEASE

     TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT AND RELEASE, dated as of October 31,
2000 by and between Ventro Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"),
and Pierre Samec ("EXECUTIVE").

     WHEREAS, the Company and Executive entered into an employment agreement
dated as of March 6, 2000 (the "EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT");

     WHEREAS, Executive desires to terminate Executive's employment with the
Company effective December 1, 2000, subject to the terms and conditions set
forth below;

     WHEREAS, the Company desires to have the benefit of Executive's services
and expertise to perform consulting services for the Company during the next
twelve months;

     WHEREAS, the parties wish to enter into this Agreement to clarify their
relationship in the future;

     NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and agreements
hereinafter set forth, the Company and Executive agree as follows:

     1. Resignation. Executive resigns, effective as of December 1, 2000 (the
"RESIGNATION DATE") from Executive's position as Executive Vice President,
Chief Technology Strategist of the Company and from all other positions which
Executive holds with the Company, its subsidiaries or its affiliates and the
Company accepts such resignations.

     2. Consulting. Executive has expressed his desire to begin a consulting
business and the Company consents to and supports Executive's plans. Executive
agrees to provide consulting services to the Company, as an independent
contractor and not as an employee, during the period from the Resignation Date
to and including December 31, 2001 (the "CONSULTING TERM"), provided that
Executive shall not be required to provide such services to the Company in
excess of 25 hours per month, or an aggregate of 300 hours during the Consulting
Term. Executive shall not receive compensation (other than as set forth in
paragraph 3 below) for consulting services during the Consulting Term that are
performed within the hourly limitations set forth in the immediately preceding
sentence, but the Company will reimburse Executive on a monthly basis for all
reasonable, documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the
performance of consulting services. Any consulting services provided in excess
of the hourly

<PAGE>   8
limitations set forth above will be compensated by the Company at hourly rates
agreed between Executive and the Company.

      3.  Payments to Executive. (a) The Company agrees to pay to Executive
$325,000, at the rate of $25,000 per month, less all applicable Federal, State
and local withholding taxes, during the Consulting Term.

      (b) The Company's obligations to (i) make any payments pursuant to this
Section 3 and (ii) provide benefits pursuant to Section 4, are expressly
conditioned on Executive's continued compliance with the provisions of this
Agreement and the Employee Confidentiality and Inventions Agreement referred to
in paragraph 9 below.

      4.  Other Benefits. (a) The Company agrees to pay Executive, within
thirty (30) days following the Resignation Date, for unused and accrued
vacation and personal leave at the rate of Executive's base compensation in
effect on the date hereof.

      (b) The Company agrees to continue Executive's coverage under the
Company's medical and health plans, in the same amount and to the same extent
to which Executive was covered, and at the same cost to Executive in effect,
immediately prior to the Resignation Date, for a period of 60 days following
the Resignation Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Executive shall have the
same rights to convert health and life insurance coverage provided to him by
the Company as employees participating in such plans have on the date
Executive's coverage under such plans ceases, including exercising health care
continuation rights in accordance with Section 4980B of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended.

      (c) All stock options previously granted to Executive under the Company's
Stock Option Plan that would have vested during the Consulting Term shall vest
in full on the Resignation Date, and all unvested options will be cancelled in
full effective on such date. All options will be exercisable by Executive on
the terms set forth in the option agreement between Executive and the Company.

      5.  Release. (a) Executive agrees to and does fully and completely
release, discharge and waive any and all claims, complaints, causes of action
or demands of whatever kind which Executive has or may have against the
Company, its subsidiaries, affiliates, predecessors and successors and all its
officers and employees by reason of any event, matter, cause or thing which has
occurred prior to the Resignation Date (hereinafter "EXECUTIVE CLAIMS").
Executive understands and accepts that this Agreement specifically covers, but
is

                                       2
<PAGE>   9

not limited to, any and all Executive Claims which Executive has or may have
against the Company relating to any way to the Employment Agreement or to
compensation, or to any other terms, conditions or circumstances of Executive's
former employment with the Company, and to the resignation of such employment,
whether for severance or based on statutory or common law claims for employment
discriminating (including age discrimination), wrongful discharge, breach of
contract or any other theory, whether legal or equitable. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, Executive does not waive any rights which Executive may be entitled
(i) to seek to enforce this Agreement, or (ii) to seek indemnification with
respect to liability incurred by Executive as an officer of the Company.

      (b) Executive acknowledges that this Release shall extend to unknown, as
well as known claims, and hereby waives the application of any provision of
law, including, without limitation, Cal. Civ. Code Section 1542 (West 1982 &
2000 Supp.), that purports to limit the scope of a general release. Section
1542 of the California Civil Code provides:

            "A general release does not extend to claims which
            the creditor does not know or suspect to exist in his
            favor at the time of executing the release, which if
            known by him must have materially affected his
            settlement with the debtor."

                                             Illegible Initials
                                             ------------------
                                             Initial Here

      (c) The Company agrees to and does fully and completely release, discharge
and waive any and all claims, complaints, causes of action or demands of
whatever kind which the Company has or may have against Executive by reason of
any event, matter, cause or thing which has occurred prior to the Resignation
Date (hereinafter "COMPANY CLAIMS") except any specific matters which are
founded upon and directly related to allegations of malfeasance in office. The
Company understands and accepts that this Agreement specifically covers, but is
not limited to, any and all Company Claims which the Company has or may have
against Executive relating in any way to the Employment Agreement or to
compensation, or to any other terms, conditions or circumstances of Executive's
former employment with the Company, and to the resignation of such employment,
whether based on statutory or common law claims for breach of contract or any
other theory, legal or equitable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company
does not waive any rights to which it may be entitled to seek to enforce this
Agreement or the Employee Confidentiality and Inventions Agreement.

                                       3
<PAGE>   10
     6.   Confidentiality; No Disparagement. (a) Executive agrees not to cause
or participate in the publication of any information concerning the facts
underlying the termination of Executive's employment with the Company or the
terms and conditions of this Agreement to anyone. This provision shall not
prevent Executive from disclosing such information to Executive's legal counsel
and accountants in order to obtain professional advice; provided that they are
advised as to and agree to observe the confidentiality of such information.

     (b) Executive agrees that he shall not make negative statements or
representations, or otherwise communicate negatively, directly or indirectly, in
writing, orally, or otherwise, or take any action which may, directly or
indirectly, disparage or be damaging to the Company, its subsidiaries,
affiliates, successors or their officers, directors, employees, business or
reputation. From and after the Resignation Date, the Executive may communicate
directly with Mr. Thomas Hammer regarding any matters relating to the Company
and this Agreement.

     (c) The Company agrees that it shall not, and shall not authorize any
officer, agent, employee or other representative of the Company to, make
negative statements or representations, or otherwise communicate negatively,
directly or indirectly, in writing, orally or otherwise, concerning Executive's
performance of his duties while employed by the Company, his resignation of
employment with the Company or the terms and conditions of this Agreement to
anyone (other than the Company's legal counsel and accountants), or in
connection therewith take any action which may, directly or indirectly, in any
way disparage or be damaging to Executive.

     7.   Company Customers and Employees. (a) Executive agrees that at no time
during the Consulting Term will Executive directly or indirectly, while engaged
in any business which directly or indirectly in competition with any line of
business conducted by the Company, its subsidiaries or its affiliates, solicit
business from or engage in the sale of goods to or performance of services for
any person who is a client of the Company, or any of its subsidiaries or its
affiliates, without the prior written consent of the Chairman of the Board or
Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

     (b) Executive acknowledges that the Company's and its affiliates' trade
secrets, information concerning products and their development, technical
information, marketing, investment, and sales activities and procedures,
promotion and pricing techniques and credit and financial data concerning the
Company, and its affiliates and any information of third parties made available
to the Company, its subsidiaries or its affiliates pursuant to licensing or
services agreements (the "PROPRIETARY INFORMATION") are valuable, special and
unique assets of the Company and its affiliates, access to and knowledge of
which have

                                       4
<PAGE>   11
been gained by virtue of Executive's position and involvement with the Company
and its affiliates. Executive agrees that all Proprietary Information obtained
by Executive as a result of any such position or involvement shall be considered
confidential. In recognition of such fact, Executive agrees that Executive will
not disclose any of such Proprietary Information to any person or other entity
for any reason or purpose whatsoever, and that the Executive will not make use
of any Proprietary Information for his or her own purposes or for the benefit of
any person or other entity.

     (c)  Executive also agrees that Executive will not, without the prior
written consent of the Chairman of the Board of Directors or Chief Executive
Officer of the Company, directly or indirectly, recruit, seek to recruit, or
hire any present or former employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or
its affiliates until at least six (6) months has passed after the termination of
such person's employment by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or its
affiliates.

     8.   Remedies. (a) Executive acknowledges and agrees that the Company's
remedies at law for a breach or threatened breach of any of the provisions of
Section 7 would be inadequate and, in recognition of this fact, Executive agrees
that, in the event of a breach or threatened breach, in addition to any remedies
at law, the Company, without posting any bond, shall be entitled to obtain
equitable relief in the form of specific performance, temporary restraining
order, temporary or permanent injunction or any other equitable remedy which may
then be available.

     (b)  It is expressly understood and agreed that although Executive and the
Company consider the restrictions contained in Section 7 to be reasonable, if a
final judicial determination is made by a court of competent jurisdiction that
any restriction contained in this Agreement is an unenforceable restriction
against Executive, the provisions of this Agreement shall not be rendered void
but shall be deemed amended to apply to the maximum extent as such court may
judicially determine or indicate to be enforceable. Alternatively, if any court
of competent jurisdiction finds that any restriction contained in this Agreement
is unenforceable, and such restriction cannot be amended so as to make it
enforceable, such finding shall not affect the enforceability of any of the
other restrictions contained herein.

     9.   Related Agreement. The payments and benefits provided for herein are
contingent upon Executive's execution and compliance with (i) this Agreement and
(ii) the attached Employee Confidentiality and Inventions Agreement.

                                       3

<PAGE>   12
     10.  Entire Agreement; Amendment. This Agreement shall supersede the
Employment Agreement in its entirety and, together with the Employee
Confidentiality and Inventions Agreement, contains the entire understanding of
the parties with respect to Executive's resignation and the termination of
Executive's employment. It may not be altered, modified or amended except by a
written agreement signed by both parties hereto.

     11.  Effectiveness. This Agreement is subject to approval by the Company's
Board of Directors. Executive has been advised, and understands, that (i) he
has 21 days to consider this Agreement (which shall be considered waived should
Executive execute this letter prior to the lapse of such 21 days), (ii)
Executive can revoke this Agreement during a period of 7 days following its
execution and (iii) this Agreement will become effective and enforceable upon
the expiration of the revocation period.

     12.  No Waiver. The failure of a party to insist upon strict adherence to
any term of this Agreement on any occasion shall not be considered a waiver of
such party's rights or deprive such party of the right thereafter to insist upon
strict adherence to that term or any other term of this Agreement.

     13.  Severability. In the event that any one or more of the provisions of
this Agreement shall be or become invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any
respect, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions
of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.

     14.  Assignment. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be
binding upon the parties hereto and their respective heirs, representatives,
successors and assigns. This Agreement shall not be assignable by Executive and
shall be assignable by the Company only to a direct or indirect wholly owned
subsidiary of the Company; provided that no such assignment by the Company
shall relieve the Company of any liability hereunder, whether accrued before or
after such assignment.

     15.  Acknowledgement. Executive acknowledges that Executive has carefully
read this Agreement, fully understands and accepts all of its provisions and
signs it voluntarily of Executive's own free will. Executive further
acknowledges that Executive has been provided a full opportunity to review and
reflect on the terms of this Agreement and to seek the advice of legal counsel
of Executive's choice.

     16.  Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of California.

                                       6
<PAGE>   13
     17. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in counterparts, each of
which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto
and hereto were upon the same instrument.

                                       7
<PAGE>   14
     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement
as of the day and year first above written.

                                      /s/ PIERRE SAMEC
                                      ----------------------------
                                      PIERRE SAMEC
                                      2056 Ticonderoga
                                      San Mateo, CA 94402
                                      11/06/2000

                                      VENTRO CORPORATION
                                      By: [SIGNATURE ILLEGIBLE]
                                      ----------------------------
                                      Name:
                                      Title:  COO
                                      11-07-2000

                                       8
<PAGE>   15
                                   EXHIBIT B

                 SEE VENTRO CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT ATTACHED

                                       9
<PAGE>   16
                                   EXHIBIT B

                 SEE VENTRO CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT ATTACHED

                                       7
<PAGE>   17

[VENTRO LOGO]

                       EMPLOYEE CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT
                       ----------------------------------

The following Agreement confirms certain terms of my employment with Ventro
Corporation (hereafter referred to as "the Company"), which is a material part
of the consideration for my employment by the Company and the compensation
received by me from the Company from time to time. The headings contained in
this Agreement are for convenience only, have no legal significance, and are
not intended to change or limit this Agreement in any matter whatsoever.

A.   DEFINITIONS.

     1. THE "COMPANY". As used in this Agreement, the "Company" refers to Ventro
     Corporation and each of its subsidiaries or affiliated companies. I
     recognize and agree that my obligations under this Agreement and all terms
     of this Agreement apply to me regardless of whether I am employed by or
     work for Ventro Corporation; or any other subsidiary or affiliated company
     of Ventro Corporation. Furthermore, I understand and agree that the terms
     of this Agreement will continue to apply to me even if I transfer at some
     time from one subsidiary or affiliate of the Company to another.

     2. "PROPRIETARY INFORMATION". I understand that the Company possesses and
     will possess Proprietary Information which is important to its business.
     For purposes of this Agreement, "Proprietary Information" is information
     that was or will be developed, created, or discovered by or on behalf of
     the Company, or which became or will become known by, or was or is
     conveyed to the Company, which has commercial value in the Company's
     business.

     "Proprietary Information" includes, but is not limited to information
     about software programs and subroutines, source and object code,
     algorithms, trade secrets, designs, technology, know-how, processes, data,
     ideas, techniques, inventions (whether patentable or not), works of
     authorship, formulas, business and product development plans, customer
     lists, terms of compensation and performance levels of Company employees,
     Company customers and other information concerning the Company's actual or
     anticipated business, research or development, or which is received in
     confidence by or for the Company from any other person.

     I understand that my employment creates a relationship of confidence and
     trust between the Company and me with respect to Proprietary Information.

     3. "COMPANY DOCUMENTS AND MATERIALS". I understand that the Company
     possesses or will possess "Company Documents and Materials" which are
     important to its business. For purposes of this Agreement, "Company
     Documents and Materials" are documents or other media or tangible items
     that contain or embody Proprietary Information or any other information
     concerning the business, operations or plans of the Company, whether such
     documents, media or items have been prepared by me or by others.

     "Company Documents and Materials" include, but are not limited to,
     blueprints, drawings, photographs, charts, graphs, notebooks, customer
     lists, computer disks, tapes or printouts, sound recordings and other
     printed, typewritten or handwritten documents, sample products, prototypes
     and models.

B. ASSIGNMENT OF RIGHTS. All Proprietary Information and all patents, patent
rights, copyrights, trade secret rights, trademark rights and other rights
(including, without limitation, intellectual property rights) anywhere in the
world in connection therewith is and shall be the sole property of the Company.
I hereby assign to the Company any and all rights, title and interest I may
have or acquire in such Proprietary Information.

At all times, both during my employment by the Company and after its
termination, I will keep in confidence and trust and will not use or disclose
any Proprietary Information or anything relating to it

<PAGE>   18
without the prior written consent of an officer of the Company, except as may
be necessary in the ordinary course of performing my duties to the Company.

C. MAINTENANCE AND RETURN OF COMPANY DOCUMENTS AND MATERIALS. I agree to make
and maintain adequate and current written records, in a form specified by the
Company, of all inventions, trade secrets and works of authorship assigned or
to be assigned to the Company pursuant to this Agreement. All Company Documents
and Materials are and shall be the sole property of the Company.

I agree that during my employment by the Company, I will not remove any Company
Documents and Materials from the business premises of the Company or deliver
any Company Documents and Materials to any person or entity outside the
Company, except as I am required to do in connection with performing the duties
of my employment. I further agree that, immediately upon the termination of my
employment by me or by the Company for any reason, or during my employment if
so requested by the Company, I will return all Company Documents and Materials,
apparatus, equipment and other physical property, or any reproduction of such
property, excepting only (i) my personal copies of records relating to my
compensation; (ii) my personal copies of any materials previously distributed
generally to stockholders of the Company; and (iii) my copy of this Agreement.

D. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTIONS TO THE COMPANY. I will promptly disclose in writing
to my immediate supervisor or to such other person designated by the Company
all "inventions," which includes, without limitation, all software programs or
subroutines, source or object code, algorithms, improvements, inventions, works
of authorship, trade secrets, technology, designs, formulas, ideas, processes,
techniques, know-how and data, whether or not patentable, made or discovered or
conceived or reduced to practice or developed by me, either alone or jointly
with others, during the term of my employment.

I will also disclose to the President of the Company all inventions made,
discovered, conceived, reduced to practice, or developed by me within six (6)
months after the termination of my employment with the Company which resulted,
in whole or in part, from my prior employment by the Company. Such disclosures
shall be received by the Company in confidence (to the extent such
inventions are not assigned to the Company pursuant to Section (E) below) and
do not extend the assignment made in Section (E) below.

E.   RIGHT TO NEW IDEAS.

     1. ASSIGNMENT OF INVENTIONS TO THE COMPANY. I agree that all inventions
     which I make, discover, conceive, reduce to practice or develop (in whole
     or in part, either alone or jointly with others) during my employment shall
     be the sole property of the Company to the maximum extent permitted by
     Section 2870 of the California Labor Code or any like statute of any other
     state. Section 2870 provides as follows:

          a.   Any provision in an employment agreement which provides that an
          employee shall assign, or offer to assign, any of his or her rights in
          an invention to his or her employer shall not apply to an invention
          that the employee developed entirely on his or her own time without
          using the employer's equipment, supplies, facilities, or trade secret
          information except for those inventions that either:

               (1) Relate to the time of conception or reduction to practice of
               the invention to the employer's business, or actual or
               demonstrably anticipated research or development of the employer.

               (2) Result from any work performed by the employee for his
               employer.

          b.   To the extent a provision in an employment agreement purports to
          require an employee to assign an invention otherwise excluded from
          being required to be assigned under subdivision (a), the provision is
          against the public policy of this state and is unenforceable.

<PAGE>   19
     This assignment shall not extend to Inventions, the assignment of which is
     prohibited by Labor Code Section 2870.

     2. WORKS MADE FOR HIRE. The Company shall be the sole owner of all patents,
     patent rights, copyrights, trade secret rights, trademark rights and all
     other intellectual property or other rights in connection with inventions.
     I further acknowledge and agree that such inventions, including, without
     limitation, any computer programs, programming documentation, and other
     works of authorship, are "works made for hire" for purposes of the
     Company's rights under copyright laws. I hereby assign to the Company any
     and all rights, title and interest I may have or acquire in such
     inventions. If in the course of my employment with the Company, I
     incorporate into a Company product, process or machine a prior invention
     owned by me or in which I have interest, the Company is hereby granted and
     shall have a nonexclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual,
     sublicensable, worldwide license to make, have made, modify, use, market,
     sell and distribute such prior Invention as part of or in connection with
     such product, process or machine.

     3. COOPERATION. I agree to perform, during and after my employment, all
     acts deemed necessary or desirable by the Company to permit and assist it,
     at the Company's expense, in further evidencing and perfecting the
     assignments made to the Company under this Agreement and in obtaining,
     maintaining, defending and enforcing patents, patent rights, copyrights,
     trademark rights, trade secret rights or any other rights in connection
     with such inventions and improvements thereto in any and all countries.
     Such acts may include, but are not limited to, execution of documents and
     assistance or cooperation in legal proceedings. I hereby irrevocably
     designate and appoint the Company and its duly authorized officers and
     agents, as my agents and attorney-in-fact to act for and on my behalf and
     instead of me, to execute and file any documents, applications or related
     findings and to do all other lawfully permitted acts to further the
     purposes set forth above in this Subsection 3, including, without
     limitation, the perfection of assignment and the prosecution and issuance
     of patents, patent applications, copyright applications and registrations,
     trademark applications and registrations or other rights in connection with
     such inventions and improvements thereto with the same legal force and
     effect as if executed by me.

     4. ASSIGNMENT OR WAIVER OF MORAL RIGHTS. Any assignment of copyright
     hereunder (and any ownership of a copyright as a work made for hire)
     includes all rights of paternity, integrity, disclosure and withdrawal and
     any other rights that may be known as or referred to as "moral rights"
     (collectively "Moral Rights"). To the extent such Moral Rights cannot be
     assigned under applicable law and to the extent the following is allowed by
     the laws in the various countries where Moral Rights exist, I hereby waive
     such Moral Rights and consent to any action of the Company that would
     violate such Moral Rights in the absence of such consent.

     5. LIST OF INVENTIONS. I have attached hereto as Exhibit A a complete list
     of all inventions or improvements to which I claim ownership and that I
     desire to remove from the operation of this Agreement, and I acknowledge
     and agree that such list is complete. If no such list is attached to this
     Agreement, I represent that I have no such inventions or improvements at
     the time of signing this Agreement.

F.   NON-SOLICITATION OF COMPANY EMPLOYEES. During the term of my employment
and for one (1) year thereafter, I will not encourage or solicit any employee
of the Company to leave the Company for any reason or to accept employment with
any other company. As part of this restriction, I will not interview or provide
any input to any third party regarding any such person during the period in
question. However, this obligation shall not affect any responsibility I may
have as an employee of the Company with respect to the bona fide hiring and
firing of Company personnel.

G.   COMPANY AUTHORIZATION FOR PUBLICATION. Prior to by submitting or
disclosing for possible publication or dissemination outside the Company any
material prepared by me that incorporates information that concerns the
Company's business or anticipated research, I agree to deliver a copy of such
material to an officer of the Company for his or her review. Within twenty (20)
days following such submission, the Company agrees to notify me in writing
whether the Company believes such material

<PAGE>   20
contains any Proprietary Information or Inventions, and I agree to make such
deletions and revisions as are reasonably requested by the Company to protect
its Proprietary Information and Inventions. I further agree to obtain the
written consent of the Company prior to any review of such material by persons
outside the Company.

H.  DUTY OF LOYALTY. I agree that, during my employment with the Company, I
will not provide consulting services to or become an employee of, any other
firm or person engaged in a business in any way competitive with the Company or
involved in the design, development, marketing, sale or distribution of any
networking or software products, without first informing the Company of the
existence of such proposed relationship and obtaining the prior written consent
of my manager and the Human Resource Manager responsible for the organization
in which I work.

I.  FORMER EMPLOYER INFORMATION. I represent that my performance of all the
terms of this Agreement and as an employee of the Company does not and will not
breach any agreement to keep in confidence proprietary information, knowledge
or data acquired by me in confidence or in trust prior to my employment by the
Company, and I will not disclose to the Company or induce the Company to use
any confidential or proprietary information or material belonging to any
previous employers or others. I have not entered into and I agree I will not
enter into any agreement, either written or oral, in conflict herewith or in
conflict with my employment with the Company. I further agree to conform to the
rules and regulations of the Company.

J.  AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT. I agree and understand that employment with the Company
is "at-will," meaning that it is not for any specified period of time and can
be terminated by me or by the Company at any time, with or without advance
notice, and for any or no particular reason or cause. I agree and understand
that it also means that job duties, title and responsibility and reporting
level, compensation and benefits, as well as the Company's personnel policies
and procedures, may be changed at any time at-will by the Company. I understand
and agree that nothing about the fact or the content of this Agreement is
intended to, nor should be construed to, alter the at-will nature of my
employment with the Company.

I understand and agree that this Agreement is the complete agreement between
the Company and me regarding the nature of my employment with the Company. I
also understand and agree that the at-will nature of employment with the
Company can only be changed by the Company President in an express writing
signed and dated by him or her and by me.

K.  SEVERABILITY. I agree that if one or more provisions of this Agreement are
held to be unenforceable under applicable law, such provisions shall be
excluded from this Agreement and the balance of the Agreement shall be
interpreted as if such provision were so excluded and shall be enforceable in
accordance with its terms.

L.  AUTHORIZATION TO NOTIFY NEW EMPLOYER. I hereby authorize the Company to
notify my new employer about my rights and obligations under this Agreement
following the termination of my employment with the Company.

M.  ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and
understanding between the Company and me relating to the subject matter herein
and merges all prior discussions between us, including but not limited to any
and all statements made by any officer, employee or representative of the
Company regarding the Company's financial condition or future prospects. I
understand and acknowledge that, except as set forth in this Agreement and in
the offer letter from the Company to me, (i) no other representation or
inducement has been made to me, (ii) I have relied on my own judgment and
investigation in accepting my employment with the Company, and (iii) I have not
relied on any representation or inducement made by any officer, employee or
representative of the Company. No modification of or amendment to this
Agreement nor any waiver of any rights under this Agreement will be effective
unless in a writing signed by the President of the Company and me. I understand
and agree that any subsequent change or changes in my duties, salary or
compensation will not affect the validity or scope of this Agreement.
<PAGE>   21
N.  EFFECTIVE DATE. This Agreement shall be effective as of the first day of my
employment with the Company and shall be binding upon me, my heirs, executors,
assigns and administrators and shall inure to the benefit of the Company, its
subsidiaries and assigns.

O.  GOVERNING LAW. Although I may work for the Company outside of California or
the United States, I understand and agree that this Agreement shall be
interpreted and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of California.

I HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT CAREFULLY AND I UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THE
OBLIGATIONS WHICH IT IMPOSES UP0N ME WITHOUT RESERVATION. NO PROMISES OR
REPRESENTATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE TO ME TO INDUCE ME TO SIGN THIS AGREEMENT.
I SIGN THIS AGREEMENT VOLUNTARILY AND FREELY.

                                               /s/  PIERRE V. SAMEC
                                        -----------------------------------
                                        Employee's Signature

                                                    Pierre V. Samec
                                        -----------------------------------
                                        Print Name

                                                     11/06/2000
                                        -----------------------------------
                                        Date
<PAGE>   22
                                   EXHIBIT A

1.  The following is a complete list of all Inventions or improvements relevant
to the subject matter of my employment by the Company that have been made or
discovered or conceived or first reduced to practice by me or jointly with
others prior to my employment by the Company that I desire to remove from the
operation of the Company's Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement:

____  No inventions or improvements.

____  See below: Any and all inventions regarding:

____  Additional sheets attached.

2.  I propose to bring to my employment the following materials and documents
of a former employer:

____  No materials or documents

____  See below:

                                        /s/ PIERRE V. SAMEC
                                        --------------------------------
                                        Employee's Signature

                                            Pierre V. Samec
                                        --------------------------------
                                        Print Name

                                            11/06/2000
                                        --------------------------------
                                        Date

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