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From: geoff@desint.UUCP (Geoff Kuenning)
Newsgroups: net.sources,comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: Public Domain Declarations
Message-ID: <557@desint.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 17-Apr-87 01:22:51 EST
Article-I.D.: desint.557
Posted: Fri Apr 17 01:22:51 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Apr-87 13:09:30 EST
References: <6911@brl-adm.ARPA>
Reply-To: geoff@desint.UUCP (Geoff Kuenning)
Followup-To: comp.sources.d
Organization: Interrupt Technology Corp., Manhattan Beach, CA
Lines: 22
Summary: In California you own your ideas, no matter what
Xref: mnetor net.sources:4323 comp.sources.d:604

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