I've been in these situations a few times. I have a few different approaches depending on the person and company asking: (1) Say, "My employer prohibits me fr

I've been in these situations a few times. I have a few different approaches depending on the person and company asking: (1) Say, "My employer prohibits me from signing any legal documents related to intellectual creations. You'll have to run it past their legal team. It'll take 1-2 weeks." That's mostly true(!) depending on the provisions of your employment agreement, and it's usually enough to get them to back down. (2) Go to the signature page and write in legible penmanship: "I do not agree to these terms" (and that is all). Often the administering party has no leeway and just needs to be able to say, "I saw them write something." If all else fails: You have to be willing to walk away. And if you do decide to sign: Retain a copy! Anyway, that's pretty shady and should not be tolerated.