I recently reached the contract signing stage of a job application but hesitated because the contract included a clause stating the company could claim ownership of any work I created, including side projects I develop during my own time. Both the CTO and recruiter assured me this was standard and that no one had raised concerns about it in the past seven years. However, I found it incredibly unfair, as contracts should protect the interests of both parties, and I value the work I do outside of my main job.
I suggested a more balanced clause that would clarify ownership of work done in my own time, but they refused. This led to the application falling through, and I'm curious—am I overreacting to this clause, or is this kind of ownership claim a standard part of contracts in the UK that I should just accept?
4 Answers
It really depends on the company and their policies. In many full-time positions, it's not unusual for companies to include these types of clauses, but it’s not technically standard either. Usually, they want to protect their intellectual property. Ideally, you should have a clause that says something like "anything you create on your own time is yours"—but not all companies are open to that kind of negotiation.
In the UK, it’s common to see this sort of clause, especially in employment contracts. However, I think it's excessive for them to claim ownership of anything you do outside work. Usually, companies should only have rights to anything created during work hours or using company tools.
Many salaried positions include some version of this clause. Personally, I do a lot of charitable programming on the side and have mentioned it to my employers—they've never enforced it against me. Generally, it becomes a problem only if you develop something that competes with the company's products using their resources.
I've encountered this issue before as well and chose not to sign because it felt too restrictive. Most reasonable companies will understand if you push back on such broad claims. If they aren't willing to adjust the contract, that could be a red flag!
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