Some Assignments Are More Equal Than Others

Companies often have policies requiring employees to transfer rights to inventions developed by the employee on company time using company resources. To protect their rights, many companies utilize lengthy assignments drafted by legal counsel. Understandably, managers often ignore the details of the agreements, and are primarily concerned that the agreements are properly executed by the employee. As a result, companies with seemingly comprehensive assignments can develop a false sense of security about their rights to the inventions of their workforce. However, to paraphrase George Orwell's Animal Farm, while all assignment agreements may be created equal, some are more equal than others.