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A) Extreme case:
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B) Normal Case:
You keep a copy of your work and designs so you can reuse the ideas and perhaps even snippets of code. It is also a record of your work. This is for 'normal' work that took lots of thought and effort, not patented stuff.
Qs: How many of you regularly do B? Please also comment on A
A) is illegal. You have no ownership of ANY code or IP that you work on at the company that employs you. That's what they're paying you for, after all.
B) is also illegal. Unless the company in question has open sourced their code and allows anyone to use it under some kind of a BSD-like license, you have absolutely no right to use that code or IP.
Not only are both of these cases illegal, they're also highly unethical. Also, if you're forming a company around someone else's IP, you're gonna crash and burn.
When I worked as a contractor, I would use my own libraries to save me some time but before I used them, I notified the management that I was using them and told them that I own the code and that I give them full right to use it without any licensing fees and I also told them I would use them on my other contracting jobs. They always accepted these stipulations an I've never had any problems. They loved the fact that I was not wasting my time and their money re-implementing the wheel and that I was solving their problems in record time. The key is to be open and put it all on the table before you start working.
Also, after I'd finish working on a project and if I was using my own computer, I'd wipe my computer clean of all of their code. I would do that on the last day of my job and I ALWAYS made sure that someone from the management was there to witness it. Sure, that might be going overboard but trust me... it's worth it. It shows them that you care about these sorts of things and it also makes sure that they won't have a strong case if they ever decide to sue you down the road because you end up inventing something amazing that's in their marketspace or you end up working for competition.
(Why is it that when it comes to ethics, what was once clear cut is now "fuzzy"?)
I managed to open-source some parts of my code (basically some generic libraries) under a very liberal license and to reuse it in other companies. Not without agreement with the employers, of course.
OK, I was contracting in my previous life so I've seen these issues pop up many times before. Here's few words. A) is illegal. You have no ownership of ANY code or IP that you work on at the company that employs you. That's what they're paying you for, after all. B) is also illegal. Unless the company in question has open sourced their code and allows anyone to use it under some kind of a BSD-like license, you have a…
OK, I was contracting in my previous life so I've seen these issues pop up many times before. Here's few words. A) is illegal. You have no ownership of ANY code or IP that you work on at the company that employs you. That's what they're paying you for, after all. B) is also illegal. Unless the company in question has open sourced their code and allows anyone to use it under some kind of a BSD-like license, you have a…
You are totally wrong. In a contracting situation, the CONTRACTOR owns all the code he or she produces unless the contract specifically states otherwise.
It may or may not be illegal or ethical, but it is rarely useful. I used to keep most of the code I've written for employers over the years, but I never once looked at it.
Both are unethical and NEVER acceptable. Run, don't walk, the other way from those who rationalize this behavior. (Why is it that when it comes to ethics, what was once clear cut is now "fuzzy"?)
For example, once in a while I will come across a problem that I know I have solved before, so I will refer to code I had previously written for someone else to remind myself of how I first solved it. I don't see any ethical dilemma in this.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are totally wrong. In a contracting situation, the CONTRACTOR owns all the code he or she produces unless the contract specifically states otherwise.
The contract almost always states otherwise though. Unless maybe you're working in an area where the companies doesn't care about their IP or are just simply ignorant.
I agree that copying code is wrong - but what about a good idea that you come up with, or a neat design or technique in code?
It seems unfair given that doctors, scientists, marketing and many other professionals can keep a record of their work. Maybe not reams of data, but something. (I am not 100% sure of the extent they are allowed to). All art professionals have portfolios.
Is your brain just a vessel to be washed clean before it is rented out again?
Again, I am not talking of secret algorithms that would break a company, not someone else's work.