14 replies to this topic

[by0logic]

Heya guy, I know this is an odd question and I assure you I'm not a jackass trying to rip-off every penny I can. Here's the situation:

I'm a junior programmer with ridiculous wage(next to minimum) who just started programming professionally a month ago.To make my proof, I work a lot at home and I've improved to be kind of the top programmer while still in probation.

One friday a guy needed a script. I've worked over the weekend to make an awesome custom script on my own time.Now a week later, I just made a custom API with lots of nice features. Now the thing is I plan to include it into a package I'd sell on my own on the plugins store. But I figure the company's confidentiality thing won't like that.

But I could just as well not bring it to work and it'd be mine. See my point?

Can I pretend I own my API package and custom scripts I've made on my own time to improve the company's (or anyone using the program) productivity?:c-blink:

[BlaineSch]

If you built it on your own time it's not the companies.

However, if it contains any information about the company you could still get in trouble due to the "confidentially agreement" you may have signed.

In my experience, don't mix business and pleasure. It makes life easier.

[by0logic]

Yeah, this is starting to give me a headache. All I really wanted to do was work a lot to improve and show I'm motivated, which works.

but this might ends up being worth much more than just a "thanks" and I'm afraid letting the company's benefit from it remove all credit from me.

Anyway, thanks for the quick answer.

[BlaineSch]

I would write up a little hourly thing saying how long you spent on it. Go to your boss, and see if he will buy it from you for the hours you spent working on it. If he says no, then you can talk about what needs to be removed in order to make it yours.

[WingedPanther]

General rule of thumb: if you give it to the company while you're an employee, it becomes theirs. You could offer to let them license it, but they aren't apt to like that while you're also an employee.

[by0logic]

Hey guys. thanks alot for the feedback. I'm very concerned with the issue and nobody around me know/care/bother.
To throw a little more information about what it is and how I made it. We're making a videogame on the Unity engine. Now two weeks ago, 10 minutes before we leave for the weekend I hear a level designer say he's using a ****ty old "activate-on-trigger" script they actually bought from a package. I took a quick glance and left for the weekend.

I worked my ass off the whole weekend ( not paid ) setting up a huge trigger system with plenty of options and stuff, with the intention to use it for my own projects, too. Its a nice tool. Brought the thing to work and the level designer was very pleased and is still using it extensively.
Now I spent another weekend making a custom Inspector and setting up an MenuItem and a manager to save/load and plenty of cool features. The plugins store is full of crappy stuff and I'm pretty confident many people would pay a few bucks for the nice package I plan to build.

Now I talked a little about the subject today, and the boss claims:
"The package we bought, and therefore our needs, inspired you to create the tools, therefore its the company's property"
to which I kind of replied:
"Programming is all I ever do, and I always do everything as best as I can, therefore any tools I make at home, or work, will be the result of everything I know. I can't forget to do something when I get home. "
He never gave me explicit directions as to what or how to do the scripts. He barely mentionned he'd like me to take a look at it on job hour.

Then comes another problem. We kind of settled on me writing what I do at home and at work. But then, does any idea I have at work is their belonging, which means I'd have to edit out if I personally release the tools?
I figure we'll reach this problems quite often as me and the company have pretty similar needs. Now I want to protect my ideas or at least not feel like they're being ripped off me for a few bucks.

Long-ass message, sorry and thanks in advance! I'm moved by all this.:confused::worry:


EDIT:
Oh yeah, they told me they plan to put their logo on my tools and sell them the very way I intend to.

Edited by by0logic, 09 February 2011 - 02:48 PM.

[BlaineSch]

Well as WP said, if you give it to them, it's there's. You clearly said you gave it to them.

If you want to stop getting ripped off for a few bucks don't mix work and pleasure. Don't bring tools to work, and vise versa. It'll cause trouble.

You live and you learn, what can you do?

Edit: To be honest, how much can they sell a product you made over the weekend? I can't see that making corporate money, just pocket cash. They would have to spend a lot more time on it before it becomes something worth buying, if it was simply they would just make it themselves.

[by0logic]

****! just lost a reply I had just wrote. Long story short, my tools aren't extraordinary but its a small company with no release yet, I think they'd like to have their name out there, but I don't mind them selling it. I mind them forbidding me all rights to it.

It all boils down to: I have the personnal project to work on an API. Now they want an API and they'll claim everything I think of is their property. What do I do?
Does the "engineer" that invented the 4-wheel car had to put a fifth one on the car he build on his own time because he worked at a car company part-time who claimed it was related to their workfield?

Just clear this last one, and I'll be out for good, with much appreciation for you :D

[Alexander]

If the code is theirs, ie. you had used their proprietary code base or information in that production, you are obligated to hand over their property to them unless their original code was released under a public license. You, however, are allowed to create a duplicate with the knowledge you have and release it as free or commercial, as long as you do not physically or virtually reference to their code to build your application, this would be considered unlawful use of confidential information for personal gain.

[by0logic]

ahh, this is precisely what I wanted to know. It doesn't get much clearer than that. thanks a lot to you three guys!

very useful information for me.:c-thumbup:

[LuthfiHakim]

To add Alex's post, as long as you had not signed a non-competing agreement.

[cdg10620]

If I do development outside of the company I typically do it on a completely different machine, and not using any software that is a company license. That way I don't have to worry about wires getting crossed. I've worked on some stuff that is outside of the company for friends and I make sure that it never touches my work laptop or work software. Just my personal rule of thumb.