I'd expect a reply like that from you.

 

come on guys keep it smart not smart assed. yeah i had to sign one but i look at it from the company s point of view also. i wouldnt want to be training my own competition. and a lot of times companies like that give you plenty of opps to make more money within the company so there is no need to venture out (so they would expect) or at least create less of a sense of urgency

 

So I write a book and it belongs to everyone, free of charge. That does not sound fair to me.

 

I've been with the same company for over 10 yrs...now I'm being asked to sign one.

 

I have signed multiple IP Agreements, all the way from the telecommunications field to the chemical production field. I guess you just have to bite the bullet sometimes. I would make sure that the company isn`t going to blackball you from another job though. Most all of the companies that I have had to sign a non-compete and IP for have understood that I am not going to use the knowledege of the company to profit, but the knowledge that I have gained skills wise will be used to leverage a higher paying job. If you make yourself available, and spread yourself across the whole rather than just on one project then you become a priceless asset and can ask for more money( or usually be the last one layed off..)But as I have always said though, don`t make yourself irreplaceable, because then you can`t be promoted.

 

I've drawn up plenty of intellectual property agrements over the years, for large companies.
Generally, anything you design while in the Company's employ, during or after hours, can be claimed by that company as their property - they were paying you to develop things in the first place, even if it's not directly related to your job at the time (which I think is rubbish)
Once you leave, you are allowed to apply your knowledge in other companies. The time constraint is seen as reasonable, although if you read Nordenfeld Gun Co V Nordenfeld (1936) US Sup Court it was deemed fair that he could open another gun company IF SUFFICIENTLY DISTANT (like 100 miles) as he still had a right to work, and earn a living.The restraint clause said he could never open another gun company anywhere in the US.......
Intellectual property agreements work well for authors and people who are self employed, but Lawyers love them, as the disputes can be lengthy and expensive. Hard to prove and difficult to enforce, given the speed of advancement today. I wouldn't sign anything on leaving a company - they should have done it when you started. My 2c worth..........

 

I had to at McDonnel Douglas Aircraft when working on the military C-17. I had a clearance to install High tech equiptment under direct supervision of a military inspector.

It basically said that they would kill me if I sold the info to Russia. Not really but it had clauses in regaurds to me stealing, selling or working for competitor and blah blah blah. I was like OK I never even get to see them work, I just install them..

I do see them as a good thing to cover their own product line from someone selling their info or starting their own company.

 

Yeah, there's not much more up that I can go...there would only be one position...and it doesn´t exist. But, you guys helped out a lot. Thanks.

 

Of course if you get laid off, the agreement isn't worth diddly - I'm sure you know that...........
It also adds some sort of job security if you know what's in the fine print...

 

That's true, I wouldn't either.