This is an area that I have sought legal counsel over in the past. I'm not a lawyer but I believe California and 8 other states have laws that protect employee

This is an area that I have sought legal counsel over in the past. I'm not a lawyer but I believe California and 8 other states have laws that protect employees intellectual property that they create on their own time with their own resources (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&gr...). As far as it being ethical, is it ethical for an employer to have a monopoly on your time on and off hours? As a general rule I will never sign anything that requires I disclose all my "inventions" up front. Most of these agreements will usually claim all of your intellectual property well beyond your termination date. The attorney I spoke to said that even a love letter to my wife is covered under the agreement that I had sought counsel over. The market is really good right now for software engineers. If more candidates would turn down job offers that stipulate these agreements maybe companies would get the hint.