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Company Ownership of Employee Ideas

Posted by michael on from the 0wned dept.

Anonymous Coward writes "Alcatel USA Inc. filed a lawsuit, and won, in a bid to claim proprietary rights for a software idea of one of its former employees, Evan Brown. Evan signed a invention disclosure agreement with his former employers but what makes this case unusual is that Evan never wrote anything down with regards to his idea, meaning that Alcatel seems to be claiming rights to an idea in his head. Does this mean your thoughts may belong to your company? Maybe...." This story has been kicking around for a few days but this is the first legal analysis I've seen of it. Watch what you sign! J adds: see also recent TR story and our 1999 story.

8 of 421 comments (clear)

  1. Update... by D-Cypell · · Score: 2, Funny

    Evan has since decided to terminate his employment with Alcatel. But a court has ruled that his head must remain until the patent on it expires.

    1. Re:Update... by boomer_rehfield · · Score: 2, Funny

      that's great...now I'm going to go to bed with this picture in my mind of a head sitting on a chair in a cubicle asking passerbys to grab some coffee for him...

      "Little help here??"

      I should sleep just fine now.

      --
      Carpe Canem - Seize the Dog
    2. Re:Update... by seefried · · Score: 2, Funny

      Or should that be "sever" his employment with Alcatel. :)

      Semantix

  2. Will by EvanED · · Score: 4, Funny

    He should stipulate in his will that when he dies, the part of his brain that contains the idea be cut out and sent to that company with a letter stating "pursuant to court ruling blah blah blah, here is the idea I thought of."

  3. SUGGESTION by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Quit posting you stupid faggot.

  4. Re:They own my thoughts? by Graspee_Leemoor · · Score: 3, Funny

    "So, just out of curiousity, what does Alcatel actually *make*, so I can advise people to start avoiding them?"

    Shitty USB ADSL "modems", and everyone already is.

    graspee

  5. If I was an Alcatel employee about to leave... by xelph · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... I would claim that I just had some idea about a new kind of porn site, then I would contact the media to let them know that Alcatel was considering entering the porn business any day...

  6. Re:Things must be different in Tex-ASS by gl4ss · · Score: 2, Funny

    errr... man, that's like, 'you dont go to work anyone for 6 months after us'. could you ask for that firm to pay for 6 months after leaving them too?-)

    anyways.. "HEYS BOSS, SORRY I CALLED YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, BUT I MADE A COOL PLASMA EFFECT WITH C++, JUST CALLING TO KEEP YOU INFORMED OF MY INVENTIONS"

    "HEY BOSS I WROTE A LOGOUT SCRIPT FOR MY MODEM"

    "HEY former-BOSS, I wrote a poem!"

    "HEY former-BOSS, I wrote this thing for my new employer but since you guys own all my shit i'll send you the source"

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.