Re: Informix vs Oracle, alleged trade secret theft

T. Scheeler wrote:
>
> In article <32EF9942.1DE3_at_worldnet.att.net>, netac <netac_at_worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> ..
> > I have no problems with non-disclosures that allows the company to have
> >the rights for work I do for them while employed by them. I certainly
> >wouldn't expect to be able to take my source code from one company, move
> >to their competitor and just recompile it there and give them a system.
> >However, I do expect to be able to take a new job and take my brain with
> >me. My brain consists of things I have learned at every job I have
> >held, and no one has the rights to that. This is where these cases go
> >to far. If on my current job I become skilled in Oracle 7, and then
> >take a new job, my orignal company does not have the rights to my Oracle
> >skills that I take with me to my new job. Unfortunately, this is what
> >companies are doing. They want to own your skills and your mind and
> >claim you can't take it anywhere else, not just your tangible work
> >output...
>
> You've missed the entire point: it is not "your knowledge" that an employment
> contract hampers, but that knowledge you gain of company secrets. Your
> knowledge of Oracle 7 is general and freely available; a companies secrets are
> not. Nonetheless, Oracle has nothing to gain from Informix, unless it wants to
> take a giant leap backwards.
>
> Tom Scheeler

I haven't missed the point. I agree with you, but what I am saying is that companies now try to extend the "trade secret" concept to include "your knowledge" and therefore your marketable skills. Obviosuly many of us in development use our knowledge to develop things for our companies that become their "trade secrets", so where is the line between our knowledge, that belongs to us, and their trade secret, whihc belongs to the company. What I am saying is that this line is blurring in favor of the companies. If it continues, we will all be indentured servants, having to work for our current company at any level of compensation because they can use the courts to prevent us from going someplace else with our marketeable skills... Received on Thu Jan 30 1997 - 00:00:00 CST