Hey Cappy, you're not gonna believe this shit. You know how you talk about how it's ok to lie and play dirty with companies, because they flat out use their employees like tools?
Well, I attended orientation for Universal Protection Services. Security company. Yeah, it's sad.
Anyway. I'm filling out 50 pages of forms, I come to a long agreement form about how you won't do this or that or give away information...
...and if you become the author of anything or invent anything while you are employed by them, they own the copyright/patent.
I'm not shitting you, and I took a cell phone pic of that part of the form. Through some insane sense of abuse of power as an employer, or just greed, they think they have the right to own whatever their employees write or invent while working for them.
What's really messed up is, I gave notice on my other job like a good employee, so I couldn't just walk out and go back to my old job... teach me to try to be nice to corporations. I think I'll go shoplift something now from a big chain store to make myself feel better.
Why didn't you bring this up to your perspective employer? I would have read that and said "Sir, I'm an internet blogger. I put out a lot of copy writed content that has nothing to do with my employment. What exactly do you mean by all this?
You weren't stuck. You could have gotten a written waiver signed by them.
Hahaha you are awesome clarey. Right now I think this is the best video I've ever seen. If you are ever in dfw you can crash on my couch. The laugh... the up and down, high then low pitched chuckle, it's the sound of a man that has lost his mind solely because he realizes he is the only sane person left in this world. A conundrum, an unexplainable paradox. Seriously, crash on my couch.
Any lawyer will destroy that without breaking a sweat, Archer. Tort law stipulates that you cannot agree to or enforce a contract with unreasonable terms and conditions.
An ex-employer came after me awhile ago for violating a non-competition clause in a contract I had with them. I called them back an hour later and told them that if they were willing to pay me $95k/year not to compete in the industry against them - I would be happy to comply - or see them in court. Do not fear contracts, boys. The purpose of them is to clarify the agreement. They can be modified by either party at any time, and the more unreasonable terms and conditions usually won't even make it to court. Sign it off, half the time they don't even know what's in those terms and conditions themselves - or care.
What Glen said, but with the caveat that it's all up to the courts, and you know how good of decision makers THEY are (and also, how effing expensive time in court can be.)
It certainly isn't risk free, but I do agree with him - you'll win that one if you ever go to court with it.
They don't own you, they just employ you. Its far past time that employers and employees alike get that through their thick skulls.
All employment is is a simple agreement: I'll perform this task for you if you pay me a set amount of money to do it.
It is not an indentured servitude, and the courts would never allow it to be so.
TH nerve of that lawyer that wrote that up, though. So I I am employed as a mall security cop, and in my pare time, I write the next Harry Potter novel, they own that?
Don't people know shit these days?
ReplyDeleteThose weren't vagina cookies. They were pudenda cookies.
For fuck sake, feminists today!
Hey Cappy, you're not gonna believe this shit. You know how you talk about how it's ok to lie and play dirty with companies, because they flat out use their employees like tools?
ReplyDeleteWell, I attended orientation for Universal Protection Services. Security company. Yeah, it's sad.
Anyway. I'm filling out 50 pages of forms, I come to a long agreement form about how you won't do this or that or give away information...
...and if you become the author of anything or invent anything while you are employed by them, they own the copyright/patent.
I'm not shitting you, and I took a cell phone pic of that part of the form. Through some insane sense of abuse of power as an employer, or just greed, they think they have the right to own whatever their employees write or invent while working for them.
What's really messed up is, I gave notice on my other job like a good employee, so I couldn't just walk out and go back to my old job... teach me to try to be nice to corporations. I think I'll go shoplift something now from a big chain store to make myself feel better.
Why didn't you bring this up to your perspective employer? I would have read that and said "Sir, I'm an internet blogger. I put out a lot of copy writed content that has nothing to do with my employment. What exactly do you mean by all this?
ReplyDeleteYou weren't stuck. You could have gotten a written waiver signed by them.
Hahaha you are awesome clarey. Right now I think this is the best video I've ever seen. If you are ever in dfw you can crash on my couch. The laugh... the up and down, high then low pitched chuckle, it's the sound of a man that has lost his mind solely because he realizes he is the only sane person left in this world. A conundrum, an unexplainable paradox. Seriously, crash on my couch.
ReplyDeleteAny lawyer will destroy that without breaking a sweat, Archer. Tort law stipulates that you cannot agree to or enforce a contract with unreasonable terms and conditions.
ReplyDeleteAn ex-employer came after me awhile ago for violating a non-competition clause in a contract I had with them. I called them back an hour later and told them that if they were willing to pay me $95k/year not to compete in the industry against them - I would be happy to comply - or see them in court.
Do not fear contracts, boys. The purpose of them is to clarify the agreement. They can be modified by either party at any time, and the more unreasonable terms and conditions usually won't even make it to court.
Sign it off, half the time they don't even know what's in those terms and conditions themselves - or care.
What Glen said, but with the caveat that it's all up to the courts, and you know how good of decision makers THEY are (and also, how effing expensive time in court can be.)
ReplyDeleteIt certainly isn't risk free, but I do agree with him - you'll win that one if you ever go to court with it.
They don't own you, they just employ you. Its far past time that employers and employees alike get that through their thick skulls.
All employment is is a simple agreement: I'll perform this task for you if you pay me a set amount of money to do it.
It is not an indentured servitude, and the courts would never allow it to be so.
TH nerve of that lawyer that wrote that up, though. So I I am employed as a mall security cop, and in my pare time, I write the next Harry Potter novel, they own that?
Cripes...