From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S272894AbTG3OrF (ORCPT ); Wed, 30 Jul 2003 10:47:05 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S272911AbTG3OrF (ORCPT ); Wed, 30 Jul 2003 10:47:05 -0400 Received: from smtp.bitmover.com ([192.132.92.12]:57797 "EHLO smtp.bitmover.com") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S272894AbTG3OrC (ORCPT ); Wed, 30 Jul 2003 10:47:02 -0400 Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2003 07:46:52 -0700 From: Larry McVoy To: Anuradha Ratnaweera Cc: LKML Subject: Re: Contributing to the kernel while being employed Message-ID: <20030730144652.GA22446@work.bitmover.com> Mail-Followup-To: Larry McVoy , Anuradha Ratnaweera , LKML References: <1059574407.1759.26.camel@anuradha> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <1059574407.1759.26.camel@anuradha> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4i X-MailScanner-Information: Please contact the ISP for more information X-MailScanner: Found to be clean X-MailScanner-SpamCheck: not spam (whitelisted), SpamAssassin (score=0.5, required 7, AWL, DATE_IN_PAST_06_12) Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Wed, Jul 30, 2003 at 10:13:27AM -0400, Anuradha Ratnaweera wrote: > Before working for a commercial organization, one usually has to sign a > contract which makes all the work done during the period of employment > (including innovations, "hobby" coding done during "after hours") > copyrighted by the employer. This introduces various problems when one > wishes to do open source development, especially as a hobby. Unless you are someone that sticks out from the crowd of engineers, you are basically in trouble. If your employer can't easily replace you then you can negotiate a different employee contract. This is quite common for a certain level of engineers. I've done it and it is not easy but one tip: describe the open source work as "pro bono work for the community at large" and at least the lawyers will have a clue, that's more or less their idea of open source. -- --- Larry McVoy lm at bitmover.com http://www.bitmover.com/lm