Internet startup input

[Hamlet]

One important question that no one has asked is "how many hours is part-time?"

Is this a 5-10 hours a week thing or a 20-30 hours a week thing?

If you're working a lot of time, I'd feel like you are probably getting taken advantage of.

If this is just an enjoyable hobby that isn't taking time away from other things that you would rather be doing, then I'd feel better about your situation.

[walkinwood]

What does your current employment contract/agreement say? Does it say that all work you produce while employed belongs to them? This could lead to problems in the future.

[Golden Mean]

Quote:

Originally Posted by walkinwood What does your current employment contract/agreement say? Does it say that all work you produce while employed belongs to them? This could lead to problems in the future.

I signed something to that effect. What problems are you thinking of?

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golden Mean I signed something to that effect. What problems are you thinking of?

The obvious one... anything that you write, even at home, can be claimed by your employer as their product... and since you are writing for another company, they do not want the possibility of someone claiming that they own that code...

[mh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud The obvious one... anything that you write, even at home, can be claimed by your employer as their product... and since you are writing for another company, they do not want the possibility of someone claiming that they own that code...

(in california at least) i believe that kind of "even at home" clause was found to be un-enforceable long ago. As always, be advised that i am not a lawyer.

[BigNick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mh (in california at least) i believe that kind of "even at home" clause was found to be un-enforceable long ago. As always, be advised that i am not a lawyer.

If the OP's buddies went to IPO for a few hundred million, I can envisage his Megacorp trawling their proxy logs to see if he ever visited their IP address during his employment with them. If they find anything from before when their site launched as a public service, they could have a case that he was working on the project at least peripherally in company time.

[mh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigNick If the OP's buddies went to IPO for a few hundred million, I can envisage his Megacorp trawling their proxy logs to see if he ever visited their IP address during his employment with them. If they find anything from before when their site launched as a public service, they could have a case that he was working on the project at least peripherally in company time.

That kind of thing has been attempted in california courts before and they lost. It's happened to me. I was threatened w/ such things in a similar situation, but I knew there wasn't really a case there. Things like visiting their web site or sending an e-mail about a project you are doing that went through their SMTP server does not give them a case (in CA. anyways) Of course it doesn't mean they won't try something and cause you more headache than you are willing to stand.

Bottom line, they need some substantive proof that you worked on stuff on their time in a significant magnitude. And again , in CA anyways, you can't say "all your time is our time" on a piece of paper and make it stick.

In any case, i will agree that it would have just been better if the OP had not signed something w/ a clause like that and saved himself the worry.

Hopefully in previous posts the OP has gotten the idea that his associates will in all likelihood not be "taking care of him" if any money actually appears from the project in the future.

Again remember i am not a lawyer. :-)

[Brat]

I remember being asked to sign such a letter. I wrote, 'except as attached' above my signature and then attached a long list of stuff I was working on and activities I had in mind. My boss shrugged her shoulders and put it in my personnel file.