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How to protect Intellectual Property from new employer (midwest.social)

submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Pretty sure I will be asking a lawyer, but I want to learn more words and concepts first.

A possible new job wants to own any intellectual property I create and wants me to declare anything I want to keep as my own. This seems normal in my industry as they will be paying me to do some thinking.

Issue is that I have a number of ideas I have been developing. I am going to float some of them as products in my own time, though this may be years from now. Most of these are outside the current market for the company as far as I know.

How is this typically handled? I presume I don't need to have copyrights or trademarks prior and can just list tentative titles.

I am also a little unclear on the spread between "intellectual property" and "an idea I am playing with".

Thoughts? Concepts to investigate?

Edit: I did Internet search this, but I have not found working keywords.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

An idea isn't a product to protect, you don't have to declare an idea that hasn't been made yet. When you get your new job, if you explore this idea on company time, they get rights. If you want to keep the rights, you'll need to explore the idea outside of company time. If and only if this idea already exists in some form of product AND you plan on using it at work, you'll need to declare it to your new employer, I've seen forms for that attached to letters of offer, if you don't see it there, ask. The company can refuse for that item though, meaning that if you continue developing that product during work hours, they have some rights to it. IANAL.