This is not true universally, regardless of what contracts you sign. For instance, in California you have section 2870 of the Labor Code: Any provision in an

This is not true universally, regardless of what contracts you sign. For instance, in California you have section 2870 of the Labor Code: 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... http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=lab&group=02001-03000&file=2870-2872 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=lab&#3...