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Yes, any project that you create while you are employed by the company, company time or your time, belongs to them. That's what you agreed on when you signed th
by WheelsAtLarge 4y ago
Yes, any project that you create while you are employed by the company, company time or your time, belongs to them. That's what you agreed on when you signed the contract.
That's why you hear about some tech founders offering their side project to the company they work for before they continue with their venture. The company can decide to keep it or you can agree with the company that they don't want it and you can keep it.
In theory, they can sell you the rights to your own project if that's what they want to do. It's what you agreed to in your contract.
In short, take it very seriously. If you have a side project that you think can be a successful venture for you then get an ok from your employer to make sure they have no claim on it.
Companies can sue anywhere but the further you are from them the harder it is. Like anything, you can always take your chances that it's not worth their time to pursue. But it's much easier to just get a release of all claims on your project from them.
- speedylight 4y agoAnd if you do seek permission, get it in writing.
- benj111 4y ago"created by employee during his work" Spare time isn't work though. Or does my company also own the food I made yesterday, the children I made...
- throwawayffffas 4y agoThe food and the children are not intellectual property, if the recipe is original though, they technically own it.
- samwillis 4y agoIANAL but I'm fairly confident that would only apply if you are employed as someone who develops recipes. If you are a software developer no court will decide your employer owns the recipe you invented.
- benj111 4y agoIf you create the recipe at work maybe (but doubtful). Signing an employment contract isn't signing away your soul to the devil though. I suspect in this specific case the company could have something to say because it's a competing product,but that would hinge on them arguing that the idea was worked on at work. Further. Contracts state a number of hours, or at least there are limits to hours worked. How would it go down if you took Friday off because you were thinking about work on Tuesday evening? This is in the EU, where you have actual employee protections.
- iExploder 4y agois this US concept where you are hired to do a job as opposed to Europe where usually working time is fixed and defined?
- esquivalience 4y agoI don't think this should be taken as legal advice. Though it reflects the strict wording of the contract, most jurisdictions apply a reasonable filter to this. We also don't know what law the contract is subject to unless I missed it on my quick read.