Re: Informix vs Oracle, alleged trade secret theft

Martyn Richard Jones wrote:
>
> netac <netac_at_worldnet.att.net> writes: > Larry Baker wrote:
> > >
> > > Yomama Sophat wrote:
> > > > 1) Who's in the right?
> > > > 2) Who will win in the end?
> > > > 3) Who's got the better technology?
> > >
> >
> > These cases are very scary. Unless the case is about specific theft of
> > software or intellectual property, I could see the point. However, more
> > and more tech companies are moving forward with these suits as if to say
> > they own the minds of their engineers and they are not free to go
> > forward and take a better job for a better offer. Its disgusting, and
> > as technical professionals we should all be very concerned about this.
> > The work I do for my company belongs to them, but my mind belongs to me
> > and so do my skills and I can sell them to the highest bidder. I think
> > this point gets lost in the discussion sometimes.
>
> Quite right. I went to work for PS a few months ago as
> a "Principal" Consultant - I had previously done a lot of R&D work
> on data extraction, rule based data transformation, expert systems
> and DSS, Semi-Automatic mapping and program generation and had
> developed a methodology for Data Mart Development _ DM3M. After starting
> my contract the company I as told, oh! and by the way you have to sign this
> standard non-disclosure (give up all intellectual rights) agreement.
> Basically I refused to sign it as it was, who the hell do these
> companies think they are. As you can imagine I will be leaving this
> sunnyvale company, and no, I will not be signing any non-disclosure
> agreement.
>
> Martyn

        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... Received on Wed Jan 29 1997 - 00:00:00 CET