Open Source: you're doing it wrong - the Pyjamas hijack

[Mark Lawrence]

On 10/05/2012 00:19, Adrian Hunt wrote:
>
> Hi there Mark
>
> There has been a few that I know of  but going back quite a long time... Soon after I got my qualifications, a small company called Merlio, not only did the court case get passed in UK courts by it went to the European court too... I wasn't directly involved but I know the EU court upheld the decision of the UK courts.  Still there are was little to no enforcement of what they decided!!!
>
> Any how IP IS the IP of the developer... Proving it and enforcing it is another matter!!
>
>
>> To: python-list at python.org
>> From: breamoreboy at yahoo.co.uk
>> Subject: Re: Open Source: you're doing it wrong - the Pyjamas hijack
>> Date: Wed, 9 May 2012 23:44:01 +0100
>>
>> On 09/05/2012 23:30, Adrian Hunt wrote:
>>>
>>> In the UK at least, a developers IP cannot be hijacked by a company contract. If you write some code while working for X, then X has free usage of that IP and may restrict you from using the same IP for company Y, but only for a limited time (ie 5 years)… The IP you came up with is still yours and a contract that claims your IP can (and has been in a court of law) judged to be null and void.
>>>
>>
>> References please, as this is completely opposite to my understanding.
>>
>> --
>> Cheers.
>>
>> Mark Lawrence.
>>
>> --
>> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
>

Google was a right PITA but eventually I found this 
http://www.legalcentre.co.uk/intellectual-property/guide/intellectual-property-and-employees/ 
  It appears to contradict what you've said above, or have I misread it? 
  E.g "Under the (Patents) Act (1977), there is a presumption that an 
employer will own the patent of an invention made by its employee if the 
invention was made in the employee’s normal or specifically assigned 
duties and either, an invention might reasonably be expected to result 
from such duties or, the employee has a special obligation to further 
the employee’s interests, arising from the nature of those duties and 
responsibilities and the employee’s status."

-- 
Cheers.

Mark Lawrence.