5 ms·

> [...] or away from work, using my own equipment, on my own time [...] That sounds illegal.

• carlosdp 8y ago
  It is illegal in California
  • CryoLogic 8y ago
    And Washington State. But actually some states (Montana comes to mind) have laws that can restrict you to one employer at a time.
  • ryandrake 8y ago
    It is legal in California if the company can show a conflict of interest.
• vorpalhex 8y ago
  Even if it is totally illegal, you're still going to go to court to fight it, and lawyers are expensive. Nobody sane is going to spend 30k+ going to trial on a side project.
  • beat 8y ago
    On the flip side, no sane company is going to sue a former (or current) employee for IP ownership over work they did in their off hours - especially if it isn't directly related to the company's own business.
    • vorpalhex 8y ago
      They could file the suit and then drop it last second. Most large companies have several lawyers on staff, so it's not really any additional cost.
      • beat 8y ago
        Sure, they could, but they could do that whether or not there's verbiage about it in your contract. This is a problem with balance of power between large corporations and individuals, not with the contract conditions.