Most professional programmers have probably found themselves considering or accepting a job where the employment contract specifies the extent to which the employee can retain ownership of the things they create. It is natural that a company would want to claim the maximum amount of ownership over what the employee creates while on “company time”, but it is also quite common for companies to claim more than this. If you are working in a “salaried” position, your company may think that they own you from the moment you sign the contract until the moment they stop paying you (and to some extent even longer). From this point of view, a company would think that any software you write, even while at home, or on the weekend, or on holiday, should belong to them. Depending on the wording, a contract can potentially lead to all sorts of strange situations, and put unreasonable burdens on the employee, but I have thought about the different problems that contracts might present and come up with some alternative wordings which could act as a compromise between the desires of companies and the freedoms of their employees. If you are an employee faced with signing a contract that you think demands too much, maybe some of the ideas below could help you get your view across or get a fairer deal.
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