At least nine states have adopted statutes governing contracts for the transfer of workers` inventions. Seven of these states – California, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina and Washington – have almost identical requirements. For example, California Labor Code 2870 provides that California law and others generally require the employer to inform the worker that the award agreement for the invention does not apply to an invention that, by law, is not considered an employer`s invention. Intellectual property is now the lifeblood of many companies. No employer wants these assets to come out of the door when a worker leaves. Agreements on the awarding of employment contracts to workers are an essential instrument for the protection of intellectual property, but the laws governing them contain pitfalls for the unwary. If the agreement is too narrow or ambiguous, it may let the inventions slip. If the agreement does not contain certain provisions, it may be invalidated in some states. (a) existing inventions, which can be maintained or sold by the developer, an agreement between the employer and the employee when an employee accepts that everything that happens on behalf of the company (on behalf of the company) is the property of the company. Invention transfer contracts are active in technology companies and emerging start-ups, but can also be used for a number of other types of activities. Note that inventions or other intellectual property must be related to the company`s activities. For example, if you run a construction company and your tiler invents a new type of vacuum cleaner, you have no right to the invention simply because you made him sign an invention assignment agreement.

Other names of this document: Invention Rights Agreement, Personnel Invention Contract The two main forms of intellectual property created by employees are patentable inventions and copyrighted works. The standard rules for these creations are polar oppositions. While copyright is the alleged property of the employer, the inventions are the alleged property of the worker. Invention transfer agreements are therefore necessary to ensure that the employer enjoys all the rights on the largest possible scale of the creation of its staff. I think a lot of people may wonder if it`s wise to mix that element — not in the competition — in the middle of the whole, for the reason you escape. There are certainly a lot of pretty safe rules like confidentiality, which are not likely to get your document out that you could mix with the order of invention. You could then place the non-compete in your own document (so that you may only be able to adapt it to employees who really deserve it, which would allow you to sign the less dangerous document on the confidentiality/assignment of inventions without having to worry about the non-competing removal of the set).