3 ms·
Laptop is not IP it's just P. It's the company's if they bought it. Give it back if you're not going to be an employee. The only reasonably safe way to walk aw
by staunch 15y ago
Laptop is not IP it's just P. It's the company's if they bought it. Give it back if you're not going to be an employee.
The only reasonably safe way to walk away from this to a likely competitor is to have your previous company sign an agreement wherein they consent to the situation. That way if they try to sue you later you can show that it was all above board. Sounds like they're going to want some or all of your shares in exchange for that agreement.
You need a lawyer to be safe, otherwise you will probably end up settling for a part of whatever you create at the new company.
Not a lawyer.
- throw_away_100 15y agoTo be clear, the new company is in a completely different market and will not be competition. They want all the shares back and I guess I will need to get something written up from a lawyer soon. Thanks for the info!
- staunch 15y agoIf it isn't a competitor then it's not nearly as risky. You still need to be very careful though. Don't take anything with you. Don't use their laptop, servers, accounts, services, code, secrets, ideas, paper, clothing, anything. Walk away completely clean. You could give them your shares back, but don't do it for free. If you want to be nice then sell them back cheaply or trade them for something you want.
- Woost 15y agoJust in case it hasn't been considered, this is all stuff that can be negotiated with the original company. With proper legalese (read: talk to a lawyer to get a proper contract) you can trade your shares for the company agreeing that they will not sue you for trade secrets/ideas/code/etc.
- tstegart 15y agoI agree with the above. the laptop is not IP, just property. If it's wiped clean there isn't really an issue. You get a $1500 laptop in exchange for your shares. If you don't think it's worth it, then ask for some more cash or something.