Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!dan-hankins
From: dan-hankins@cup.portal.com (Daniel B Hankins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: FREE Software, PD, and author compensation
Message-ID: <12823@cup.portal.com>
Date: 22 Dec 88 04:21:07 GMT
References: <12748@cup.portal.com> <3126@sugar.uu.net> <5972@thorin.cs.unc.edu>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 27

In article <5972@thorin.cs.unc.edu> bell@unc.cs.unc.edu (Andrew Bell)
writes:

>I think what Dan wants is something like California Labor Code 2870 (Yea!)
>which basically says you cannot sign an employeement agreement where your
>employer gets the rights to things developed on your own time and with your
>own tools,  unless it is a result or spinoff of work performed for the
>company.
>
>Dan has "signed his life away",  if he's still working where I last had
>electronic contact with him,  and he'd rather not have to.  It's a lot like
>drug testing;  sure,  you could try to go to another employer without it,
>but unless it's illegal,  all employers will probably have such.
>
>Not all of us have the guts to risk going independent.

     Not all of us have the capital, either.

     California Labor Code 2870 sounds *perfect*.  I wonder if I could get
transferred to IBM Palo Alto and get them to let me sign a new Intellectual
Property Agreement... yeah, that's the ticket!
     Seriously though, I heard that the Berne Convention was indeed passed.
This alters my question to, "Did IBM's lobbying succeed, or is the passed
law equivalent to CLC 2870?".


Dan Hankins