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Ask HN: Legal advice for a programmer

3 points by jarmitage ↗ HN
I have a friend who is caught in an IP issue with their employer regarding a side-project. They told their employer about the project multiple times in detail, and the employer explicitly encouraged and promoted their involvement.

Now the employer has started an investigation because they've learned that the project is taking off and is commercially viable. Whether the employer is trying to defend themselves or something more sinister, my friend does not have a legal contact who can offer advice.

Can anyone recommend my friend a lawyer in the London area?

Following similar advice on HN before, I've told my friend to keep quiet until they've gained legal advice. Are there any other immediate things my friend should do?

Thanks

7 comments

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jf22
Hope your friend never worked on the project during work...
jarmitage
They did not. One of the crippling points though, is that there's a clause in their contract stating that any work generated during the time at the company belongs to the company.

Is it still common for people to sign these agreements?

languagenerd
And despite that, he still worked on his side project ? He needs his head read.
dragos2
[not a lawyer] that clause usually states that any work done on company time [time paid by the company], belongs to the company. If you work on your side project from home and you are not paid by the company for that time, the project belongs to you.
kjs3
It's pretty common in the US (don't know about UK or EU).

Whenever I'm starting up a side project, I generally ask for a written waiver covering the scope of the project, signed by someone with sufficient authority (usually officer of the company, though different companies have different policies). That's important, because your boss may not have authority to commit the company to such things. Ask HR who does have that authority.

IANAL, but in my experience being told verbally "that's cool" means precisely nothing when the company decides it's not cool. Having something in writing changes that.