Before you sign: the invention clause

The IP clause that could own your side project

• Find the clause. It may sit under Intellectual Property, Inventions, or Proprietary Information.
• Check what counts as an invention: ideas and know-how, or only patentable work.
• Check how far it reaches: working hours only, or any hour, and whether it must relate to the business.
• Check whether your own time and your own equipment are left out.
• Check for a list of prior inventions, and consider listing projects you started before you joined.
• Check your state’s law. Some states limit what an employer can claim from your own time.

The clause in this guide: Officer Agreement, Exhibit 10.2, CIK 849869, Form 10-Q, filed with the SEC on May 6, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/849869/000162828026031008/exhibit1023-31x2026.htm

BeforeJD is not a law firm. This is informational only, not legal advice.