- #1
MissSilvy
- 300
- 1
Forgive me if this sounds a little uninformed but in the world of academia or engineering or work and what-have-you, how does intellectual property? When a company hires you to design something, say a motor, do they own all work that you produce in that given time? What about if I work on something else and patent it in the time I am employed by that company (related or unrelated to that project)? Someone told me that if you're a physicist and you're employed by a research group, every idea you have belongs to them even if you do it in your spare time and if you're an engineer then you can't do consulting on the side. It seems like a strange concept but then again I am wet behind the ears so maybe this is de rigeur. If anyone could clarify this for me I'd greatly appreciate it.