My current employer wanted me to sign a contract which included an IP agreement. A few things looked fishy so I sent it to an attorney. He tore it to pieces. Basically it was full of clauses which gave the company ownership of anything I develop during my employment, regardless of scope and whether or not I developed it on my own time. Technically it would have given them ownership of any music I write (I develop web software when I'm not composing). There was also a ridiculous non-compete clause with a several year term following termination of employment and a clause which said that if the company sues me for breach of the non-compete, and a judge throws out their suit, I still have to pay them half of any revenues generated by my alleged breach. By the time I got done fighting with the employer's legal department the contract had doubled in length and I got all kinds of stuff added to protect me. They still use the same standard contract for new hires, even though most of the techies who are asked to sign it refuse to do so without modification.
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My current employer wanted me to sign a contract which included an IP agreement. A few things looked fishy so I sent it to an attorney. He tore it to pieces. Basically it was full of clauses which gave the company ownership of anything I develop during my employment, regardless of scope and whether or not I developed it on my own time. Technically it would have given them ownership of any music I write (I develop web software when I'm not composing). There was also a ridiculous non-compete clause with a several year term following termination of employment and a clause which said that if the company sues me for breach of the non-compete, and a judge throws out their suit, I still have to pay them half of any revenues generated by my alleged breach. By the time I got done fighting with the employer's legal department the contract had doubled in length and I got all kinds of stuff added to protect me. They still use the same standard contract for new hires, even though most of the techies who are asked to sign it refuse to do so without modification.