Posted 14 years ago
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I was reading the Imvu Engineering Blog and I came across this article: http://engineering.imvu.com/2011/03/30/ ... -projects/
While I dislike 90% of the way Imvu Inc. operates, I must say I have gained a tiny bit more respect for them after reading that article.
Although, after reading the comments, I am not sure if they have done this by choice or by law.
While I dislike 90% of the way Imvu Inc. operates, I must say I have gained a tiny bit more respect for them after reading that article.
Imvu Blog wrote:IMVU’s Approach to Foster Creativity
Rather than leave employees in this ambiguous state, IMVU takes a different approach. IMVU employees can declare that they are starting a personal project and, before the project is underway, the company will explicitly state whether or not it believes it has an interest in the project. If the company does not claim interest, it will provide to the employee a formal release that acknowledges the employee’s ownership rights to the project, and the employee will be protected even with future changes to management or control of the company.
While the policy’s benefits to employees may be obvious, I see this policy as a win for the company as well. In a typical company, conflicts of this kind are identified only after an employee has invested a lot of time in a project, making resolution more difficult and potentially tarnishing the relationship between the company and the employee. IMVU’s policy allows potential conflict to be addressed at the start of a side project, where the investment is low and there is not yet a tangible asset to contest. Perhaps most importantly, it encourages honesty and transparency around side projects that are already happening. In contrast, I am aware of a large company with a “zero side projects†policy that drives the issue underground and results in some employees using pseudonyms and creating side projects anyway (which will not protect the employee if the project becomes valuable).
I hope to see other companies adopt side project policies similar to IMVU’s, or at least encourage companies with zero-tolerance policies to evaluate the need (and value) of such a prohibitive culture. Instead of making employees hide their recreational projects and fear repercussions from the company, encourage openness and creativity, all the time!
Although, after reading the comments, I am not sure if they have done this by choice or by law.
Katy Levinson March 30, 2011 at 11:02 am wrote:This post neglects to mention that California has already enacted very broad state laws which protect inventions done by employees from being taken by their employers. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displ ... =2870-2872