6 ms·

>and finding other companies who are probably paying employees to do the same thing. Then start your own company that does whatever this task is as a service.

>and finding other companies who are probably paying employees to do the same thing. Then start your own company that does whatever this task is as a service. Careful, if it gets out that you wrote the code to automate your job as a coder while actually at your job, your company most likely owns that IP.

arif_sohaib 8y ago
I am still in academics so I have a question about this. If your company owns this is, what shouldn't they be rewarding you generously for making it? They are making money out of your extra effort/work. I get that employees who want their own ip should have the right but if the company is paying you extra and giving other rewards and removing the headache of managing your own company, is that not good?
- y4mi 8y ago
  They're entitled to the code without any extras though. That is what employment is.
  - s73v3r_ 8y ago
    Only if your employment agreement says so. Most people hired as programmers, yes, that's true. People who are hired as other things, and end up automating things, well, that's not so clear.
- crooked-v 8y ago
  This is why people should be in unions.
- alistairSH 8y ago
  shouldn't they be rewarding you generously for making it? Yes, in theory. In practice, an employee's power to negotiate wages is limited. At some point, the employee just needs to work to eat/pay rent/etc. Now, in most areas (of the US), software developers already are paid generously. Even in lower paying secondary markets, software dev are usually paid significantly above local averages. And, anecdotally, that pay is often for a much "easier" job, where "easier" means less stress and fewer hours than professions that generate similar salaries (engineering, accounting come to mind).
- s73v3r_ 8y ago
  "If your company owns this is, what shouldn't they be rewarding you generously for making it?" Cause they have more power than you. That's about it.
darawk 8y ago
True, though presumably if you have an automatable job, you're not actually employed as a programmer and as such may not have a clause like that in your employment agreement.
- funkymike 8y ago
  That's a grey area. It may still be considered to be a work made for hire and so the employer would own the copyright. https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ09.pdf https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ09.pdf
- hannasanarion 8y ago
  You probably do. IP assignment is boilerplate. I had it in my contracts at Ross (the discount clothing store), Radioshack, and a local cheesesteak joint between 2012 and 2015.

arif_sohaib 8y ago

I am still in academics so I have a question about this. If your company owns this is, what shouldn't they be rewarding you generously for making it? They are making money out of your extra effort/work. I get that employees who want their own ip should have the right but if the company is paying you extra and giving other rewards and removing the headache of managing your own company, is that not good?

y4mi 8y ago
They're entitled to the code without any extras though. That is what employment is.
- s73v3r_ 8y ago
  Only if your employment agreement says so. Most people hired as programmers, yes, that's true. People who are hired as other things, and end up automating things, well, that's not so clear.
crooked-v 8y ago
This is why people should be in unions.
alistairSH 8y ago
shouldn't they be rewarding you generously for making it? Yes, in theory. In practice, an employee's power to negotiate wages is limited. At some point, the employee just needs to work to eat/pay rent/etc. Now, in most areas (of the US), software developers already are paid generously. Even in lower paying secondary markets, software dev are usually paid significantly above local averages. And, anecdotally, that pay is often for a much "easier" job, where "easier" means less stress and fewer hours than professions that generate similar salaries (engineering, accounting come to mind).
s73v3r_ 8y ago
"If your company owns this is, what shouldn't they be rewarding you generously for making it?" Cause they have more power than you. That's about it.

darawk 8y ago

True, though presumably if you have an automatable job, you're not actually employed as a programmer and as such may not have a clause like that in your employment agreement.

funkymike 8y ago
That's a grey area. It may still be considered to be a work made for hire and so the employer would own the copyright. https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ09.pdf https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ09.pdf
hannasanarion 8y ago
You probably do. IP assignment is boilerplate. I had it in my contracts at Ross (the discount clothing store), Radioshack, and a local cheesesteak joint between 2012 and 2015.