Nationwide Employment Contract Review Lawyer
Employers who have invested time, effort, and money into developing groundbreaking technology need to make sure that they own and have the right to use that technology. This requires careful and expert review of employment contracts to ensure that the employer owns all necessary rights in its technology.
Robert Plotkin at Robert Plotkin, P.C., will use his expertise in the computer hardware and software industry to provide the counsel necessary to protect your investment. Contact Nationwide employment contract review attorney Robert Plotkin today. Call toll-free: 877.451.5689 or 978.318.9914.
Boston Employer Agreement Attorney
If you are an employer, it is extremely important that your contracts with employees and independent contractors be constructed to give you ownership and control over the technology that those employees and independent contractors developed for you. Many employers are surprised to learn that, under U.S. patent law, the individual inventor owns all patent rights in his or her inventions, even if those inventions were developed and paid for by the inventor's employer, unless the inventor has agreed in writing to assign those rights to the employer. U.S. patent law is different from copyright law and other areas of law in this way. Contracts that transfer copyrights and other kinds of intellectual property rights to the employer may not be sufficient to transfer patent rights unless those contracts are worded correctly by a patent attorney.
Therefore you cannot assume that you can copy your existing employment agreements or independent contractor agreements and use them to protect your company's patent rights. If you do so, you may find that your employees and independent contractors--and not your company--own the rights in the inventions they developed for your company. It can be difficult or very expensive to attempt to obtain ownership of patent rights from inventors after the fact, especially if your company has already started to manufacture and sell successful products that incorporate the inventors' inventions. Failure to obtain and properly document ownership of all rights from inventors can also make it impossible for you to obtain investment in your company and can stop a potential acquisition of your company dead in its tracks.
Robert Plotkin has the necessary specialized skill and experience to draft and review employee contracts that adequately protect the rights of the employer through assignment of any rights held by the employee in his or her work product to the employer. The contracts should also require that employees cooperate with the process of obtaining and enforcing patents.
Massachusetts Employee Contractor Rights Law Firm
Employees and independent contractors often give up ownership of their valuable inventions without realizing it, by signing employment and independent contractor agreements that transfer legal ownership and control of all patent rights to inventor's employer or other company. Such agreements can be extremely broad and may even transfer ownership of inventions that the inventor invents off-hours and inventions that do not relate to the employer's business. Many employees and independent contractors sign such agreements without first carefully considering that doing so can deprive them of valuable compensation
If you are an employee or independent contractor, or are considering becoming one, Patent Attorney Robert Plotkin can review the agreements that you have signed or been asked to sign to ensure that you do not assign more rights to the employer than is necessary to protect the employer's investment in the employee, and to ensure that you are fairly compensated for your contributions.
It is crucial to your livelihood that your rights in your own inventions are not overly restricted, especially if you are attempting to set up your own business on the side. If you have been planning to start up your own company based on your invention but you currently work for another company, you may find that your current employer owns rights to your invention, or that your employer could bog you down in a lawsuit claiming such rights. Therefore, it is critical that you understand your contractual rights before investing the time and money necessary to launch your own company, and so that you can take any action necessary to secure the legal rights that you need before you invest such time and money.
Robert Plotkin can provide experienced advice on the best way to ensure that you are adequately protecting yourself and your company in issues relating to patents. Contact Boston employer agreement lawyer Robert Plotkin today to schedule an appointment.
Toll-Free: 877.451.5689
Office Phone: 978.318.9914
E-Mail [Link to Contact Us]