Intellectual property issue.

I

Icarus

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I know that when a director leaves a company there are issues surrounding the non removal of company property and that this extends to intellectual property. Has anyone come across these issues in the real world?
 
In practice does this mean directors must be brainwashed a la "Men In Black" before they leave?

Hopefully, in the real world, common sense prevails.
 
extopia said:
In practice does this mean directors must be brainwashed a la "Men In Black" before they leave?
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Can they do that in the real world?!;)

Example:
A director concieves, creates and nurtures a project. The director then leaves and wants to continue the project alone. The other directors could claim the project is property of the company. Intellectual property yes, but property none the less. It can't be that uncommon a scenario!

Any thoughts?
 
Icarus said:
I know that when a director leaves a company there are issues surrounding the non removal of company property and that this extends to intellectual property. Has anyone come across these issues in the real world?
Click to expand...

IP, that cherry!

BM
 
brian.mobile said:
IP, that cherry!

BM
Click to expand...
I have no idea what that means!:eek:

Ok, I just got it! It is a bit of a cherry alright! But who owns the rights to commercial expoitation of the cherry!?
 
The company that was paying your salary when you dreamed it up would sometimes feel they have the rights. And who could blame them?
 
extopia said:
The company that was paying your salary when you dreamed it up would sometimes feel they have the rights. And who could blame them?
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No doubt about it. Interestingly enough if you don't write it down or commit it to a physical medium it cannot be copyrighted so is therefore not property. So maybe having it in your head isn't enough!
 
I have in the past been asked to sign a declaration on joining a company to agree that any project that I was working on or devised while employed by the company would remain the property of the company if I left.
This would have been for an U.S. electronics company based in Ireland. I do not know if the rules have changed but I wonder why they had a policy of asking you to sign away your rights if you did not have any rights. They may have been just covering their ass.
I think that if you are being paid by someone to work on a project then it does not belong to you. You may be able to benefit from the experience gained.
 
You cannot copyright an idea. Just the implementation of that idea.
Any implementation done while part of the company remains with the company. However he can go off and create a new implementation based on the idea.*



*I am not a solicitor so proper legal advise is suggested.

 
Figment said:
You cannot copyright an idea. Just the implementation of that idea.
Any implementation done while part of the company remains with the company. However he can go off and create a new implementation based on the idea.*



*I am not a solicitor so proper legal advise is suggested.
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It would be unusual within a company framework for an individual to be able to claim that an idea was 100% her own and that no body else contributed. She would also have to prove that she did not avail of any resourse belonging to the company in the furtherment of that idea. You would then go on to the fact that the idea was being worked on while the company was paying her. It is not as simple as you are stating.
 
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