The Register covered how employers use employment contracts to claim the intellectual property of their employees, sometimes even for projects the employee creates on their own time.
The Register, a global online technology news publication, wrote about a recent effort by Amazon Game Studios to force employees to grant them the right to all intellectual property created while working for the company, even if the work was done on personal time. While Amazon Game Studio has withdrawn the contract terms, questions have arisen about the legality of the contract provisions. Read the article and comments from Vinick Hyams Trial Partner Sharon Vinick, who was interviewed for the piece. Sharon noted that “while Amazon Game Studios is based in Washington State, its agreement likely wouldn’t work in California, where the state’s Labor Code section 96(k) empowers the California Labor Commissioner to investigate wages denied as a result of lawful conduct outside of work.”
In addition to her work representing employees in cases bound for trial, Sharon has vast experience negotiating and explaining employment agreements for that impact theintellectual property rights of her clients. She has worked with employees in tech, biotechnology, financial services, entertainiment and other sectors on employment and severance agreements.