[adetrest]

Meanwhile, in the US and Canada, you are forced to sign clauses that gives your employer full ownership of anything you invent ever while employed and you have to ask your ~parents~ employer if you could please do something else on the side. Good for Sweden, these feodal rules are dragging everyone down.

[maxxxxx]

When I first learned about this type of contract I couldn’t even believe the concept. How can anybody think it’s ok that a company can claim and kind of ownership over things an employee does in his free time? I have signed up for 40 hours a week and not for being fully owned by the company.

What happens if you work another job and invent things there? Do the companies own each other’s stuff?

[jandrewrogers]

There is often a clause which warrants that you have no conflicting obligations, though if you make a habit of signing these there likely is a conflict. The real solution is to severely limit these terms to reasonable scope. Some are written to be absurdly over-broad.

I like to frame it in terms of reputation risk to the company. If they own the contents of people's creative hobbies outside of work then I am happy to put "Copyright $COMPANY" in big letters on my amateur porn website... Surprisingly few companies have thought about it that way.

[wjjdjw]

So would you assume you can work 40 hr and trade secrets from your employer as a side hustle, just because it's not happening within the work time?

[Kiro]

> and you have to ask your ~~parents~~ employer if you could please do something else on the side

What does this mean?

[adetrest]

It's meant to be struck out but HN doesn't do strikeout text. I meant that just as when you were in school and needed a hall pass or note from your parents to be absent, once you're an adult you need a formal authorization from your employer to work on anything else than your job during your employment even if it's on your own time.

[JTbane]

Not all companies do this- mine owns anything that is made during work time or using work resources.

However I did sign a forced arbitration clause which is equally BS.

[CorvusCrypto]

Actually in Sweden you have this also. Most people just have it removed from the contract. In the US it is the same. or you get a version that instead just says they own anything done during company time or using employer resources.

[kansface]

Not in California, which at least partially explains why SV is not somewhere else.

[2019ideas]

>you are forced to sign clauses that gives your employer full ownership of anything you invent ever while employed

You know, you don't have to sign those.

I always cross out those and tell them to send it back when its fixed. Only my first job I was afraid to do this.

[robin_reala]

My (Swedish) company tried this. I got it crossed out after I pointed out that that meant they also had legal responsibility for anything I produce out of work hours.