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1.  

   No Subject Given

   

   thecaptain, Aug 18th, 2004 @ 5:40am

   
   

   Many employers try and have that clause.
   
   My first interview out of school was with a company like that and basically they wanted a programmer analyst, not for programming but for tech support (and offering sub-par tech support pay for it).
   
   It was a 2 year contract for 18000$ a year (canadian), and big as day, that clause was there. I took it home and had a lawyer friend of the family look at it. Basically ANYTHING that ever produced any commercial benefits was OWNED completely and totally by the company (even if in an unrelated field...this was a company who developped alarm/monitoring systems).
   
   I asked my interviewer, "so the way this is worded, if I decide to write a novel in my spare time, the company owns it?". His quick response "Yes. That's correct. But we would work with you for 'equitable' compensation, I mean we don't have to, but its fair." They outright refused me crossing out the clause, "Its a legal thing" he said.
   
   Instead of saying no and laughing in their face, I told them I'd take the job, IF they quadrupled the salary because I told them that that clause meant in effect that I was working FOR them 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and if that's what they wanted, they could pay me for it.
   
   Talk about an alarming trend.

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2.  

   Body and soul

   

   PhilTR, Aug 18th, 2004 @ 11:26am

   
   

   The way many employment contracts are worded the employee is being paid for 24 hours a day 7 days a week. In effect you're always on the clock. Never believe an employer or for that matter anyone who presents you with a contract and says it can't be changed (re-worded.) That is a bald-faced contemptuous lie. As long as the parties (to the contract) are not breaking the law and in particular as long as there is no intent to defraud the parties are free to do what ever they damn well please.
   Usual lamer caveat, IANAL
   Organized religion: Old farts preying on man's fear of death and dying, making promises that are empiracally unverifiable, encouraging you to believe giving them a lot of money is a good thing, none of which is taxabe.

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3.  

   You've got to watch it

   

   CT, Aug 18th, 2004 @ 2:45pm

   
   

   The last time I signed a contract to do work-for-hire as a technical writer, I ran into this astonishing paragraph that stated, in black and white, that the company employing me owned EVERYTHING I created while employed there. Didn't matter whether I did it on work time or my time, on my own equipment or theirs, they had a lock on my brain output. Since I have published several books, and also worked as an adjunct assistant prof at a local university, I refused to sign unless they removed it. And they did. But jeez - the chutzpah of these corporate jackals is beyond belief.

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