Does my employer have the rights to ideas I develop or work I do outside of the hours I work for them?
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Does my employer have the rights to ideas I develop or work I do outside of the hours I work for them?
I did sign a document, which I interpreted as stating my company had the rights to anything I developed while being paid by them. The work I have been doing is outside of the hours they were paying me for, and (for the most part) unrelated to the work I do for them.
Asked on August 7, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, Alabama
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
If you contractually gave your employer the right to any ideas or work you do outside of employment, that is legal. Therefore, to answer your question, you need to take the agreement you signed to an attorney who can review it with you, to determine exactly what rights you gave up.
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