4 ms·

It's interesting how this show gives a glimpse of what life in Silicon Valley as a founder is like. Obviously it's by no means an accurate representation but i

It's interesting how this show gives a glimpse of what life in Silicon Valley as a founder is like. Obviously it's by no means an accurate representation but it is in some ways a source of inspiration for people working on their startups. In the show Hooli claims ownership of the underlying IP since Richard worked on Pied Piper during Hooli time and ran some tests on Hooli hardware. How likely is such a scenario to actually occur? I know it's technically possible, but I am not aware of any such high profile case.

minimaxir 11y ago
As a counterpoint to the Silicon Valley show accuracy, I recently marathoned Betas, which is an Amazon original series which attempted to add comedy to Silicon Valley culture (and actually predates the HBO show). The problem is that it played the culture completely straight. The issues with the show can be summed up in one scene: https://twitter.com/minimaxir/status/682261750222209024 https://twitter.com/minimaxir/status/682261750222209024
- sweezyjeezy 11y ago
  Wait I don't understand, how is that playing it straight? Is it supposed to be accurate?
  - minimaxir 11y ago
    The scene I linked to is done completely unironically.
    - awl130 11y ago
      just wow. it is played unironically, but so self-unaware that it then becomes funny, which must be enjoyed in an ironic manner. so: ``` def change_tone tone tone = ironic change_tone tone end ``` #change_tone :unironic #SystemStackError
wale 11y ago
How technically possible? cuz I also don't see how likely such a case could even occur or the whole idea of it occurring to start with
- PaulRobinson 11y ago
  When you join a company as an employee, you will sign a contract. That contract will typically stipulate that everything you produce whilst an employee belongs to your employer. More forgiving contracts will limit this to just things created on company time or using company resources. If you turn up at work and use your work machine for a side project, your work owns the IP you create in that project. Period. Universities used to require undergraduates to sign something similar, but that's fallen out of fashion.
henrikschroder 11y ago
> Obviously it's by no means an accurate representation No, because the reality is even crazier than the show.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
- sliverstorm 11y ago
  That's a little different; Hooli owns the IP because it was developed using Hooli resources. I am presuming the University wasn't claiming license to the professor's pool cleaning business, but rather prohibiting his use of their equipment for other enterprise.
sliverstorm 11y ago
I don't know about specific legal cases, but that kind of rule in employment agreements is basically de rigueur, and there's a big body of established law around it. It's potentially an issue for any new company/invention started by an employee, and for University students.
- dineshp2 11y ago
  Even university students? But most of the great startups were started by university students, so why wasn't there any issue about it so far?
  - sliverstorm 11y ago
    In some cases, the student knows the legal issues and drops out first to avoid the Uni claiming IP ownership. Some quick research suggests that funding may play a key role, particularly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayh%E2%80%93Dole_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayh%E2%80%93Dole_Act . So perhaps the IP claims are less important if the student is developing things on their own time, on their own dime. You might also like to read this: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120517/02521218947/notable-harvard-didnt-try-to-claim-ownership-facebook.shtml https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120517/02521218947/notab...
    - dineshp2 11y ago
      There really needs to be a standardized framework for IP related clauses for companies as well as universities to implement and one which favors inventors/founders as long as they are not exploiting the employer's resources in any way including on employer time. These restrictive IP clauses that many companies and some universities have are really just a hindrance to innovation.

minimaxir 11y ago

As a counterpoint to the Silicon Valley show accuracy, I recently marathoned Betas, which is an Amazon original series which attempted to add comedy to Silicon Valley culture (and actually predates the HBO show). The problem is that it played the culture completely straight. The issues with the show can be summed up in one scene: https://twitter.com/minimaxir/status/682261750222209024 https://twitter.com/minimaxir/status/682261750222209024

sweezyjeezy 11y ago
Wait I don't understand, how is that playing it straight? Is it supposed to be accurate?
- minimaxir 11y ago
  The scene I linked to is done completely unironically.
  - awl130 11y ago
    just wow. it is played unironically, but so self-unaware that it then becomes funny, which must be enjoyed in an ironic manner. so: ``` def change_tone tone tone = ironic change_tone tone end ``` #change_tone :unironic #SystemStackError

wale 11y ago

How technically possible? cuz I also don't see how likely such a case could even occur or the whole idea of it occurring to start with

PaulRobinson 11y ago
When you join a company as an employee, you will sign a contract. That contract will typically stipulate that everything you produce whilst an employee belongs to your employer. More forgiving contracts will limit this to just things created on company time or using company resources. If you turn up at work and use your work machine for a side project, your work owns the IP you create in that project. Period. Universities used to require undergraduates to sign something similar, but that's fallen out of fashion.

henrikschroder 11y ago

> Obviously it's by no means an accurate representation No, because the reality is even crazier than the show.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

sliverstorm 11y ago
That's a little different; Hooli owns the IP because it was developed using Hooli resources. I am presuming the University wasn't claiming license to the professor's pool cleaning business, but rather prohibiting his use of their equipment for other enterprise.

sliverstorm 11y ago

I don't know about specific legal cases, but that kind of rule in employment agreements is basically de rigueur, and there's a big body of established law around it. It's potentially an issue for any new company/invention started by an employee, and for University students.

dineshp2 11y ago
Even university students? But most of the great startups were started by university students, so why wasn't there any issue about it so far?
- sliverstorm 11y ago
  In some cases, the student knows the legal issues and drops out first to avoid the Uni claiming IP ownership. Some quick research suggests that funding may play a key role, particularly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayh%E2%80%93Dole_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayh%E2%80%93Dole_Act . So perhaps the IP claims are less important if the student is developing things on their own time, on their own dime. You might also like to read this: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120517/02521218947/notable-harvard-didnt-try-to-claim-ownership-facebook.shtml https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120517/02521218947/notab...
  - dineshp2 11y ago
    There really needs to be a standardized framework for IP related clauses for companies as well as universities to implement and one which favors inventors/founders as long as they are not exploiting the employer's resources in any way including on employer time. These restrictive IP clauses that many companies and some universities have are really just a hindrance to innovation.