It depends! In some cases, use of university equipment (the laptop) will make them want to come looking for money later. The use of the laptop might not even m

It depends! In some cases, use of university equipment (the laptop) will make them want to come looking for money later. The use of the laptop might not even matter, with some employers the contract might permit them IP ownership of something you create even if it's entirely on your own time and entirely without employer resources. I'd suggest you see if you can take your contract of employment, in particular any bit about an IP assignment, to a lawyer for advice. If your university has a student's union, they might have some lawyers that can give you free (or cheap) advice. You could also just ask the university directly, but that has the risk of causing more trouble than it's worth.