geoff@desint.UUCP (Geoff Kuenning) (04/17/87)
In article <6911@brl-adm.ARPA> JLC3861%TAMSTAR.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.EDU writes: > Opening disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. Nor I... > 1) If you have signed the section on your contract which gives invention rights > over to your employer during your term of employment you're sunk. Your > employer does have rights to your discovery (the Sears case notwithstanding) > since you have signed over the rights. I believe that this is untrue in the state of California. My understanding is that in California, it is impossible to sign away your rights. If you do, that contract clause is considered invalid. You can sign away your rights to work-related inventions, but if you develop a new ice cream flavor while working for Apple, you own it. Note that this is *not* true in most other states: Apple has first rights to that ice cream flavor if you signed your rights away. -- Geoff Kuenning geoff@ITcorp.com {hplabs,ihnp4}!trwrb!desint!geoff