>Jerry,
>
>>May want to becareful here. If it can be shown that the skills you acquired were by virtue of your employers time and expense, then it can be argued that any software you write, at work or home, while in their employ, is theirs. If you signed an employment contract or company policy exists saying as much, you could have your work stolen right out from under you.
>
>Zowie...is there precedence for this? If I write software at home, using my own hardware and my own licensed tools on my own time, my company can still ask for a piece of the action? That's pretty hard to swallw...
>
>I have learned _all_ of my Foxpro skills "on-the-job", plus one 3-day training course (paid for by my previous employer)...are you saying that any Foxpro goods I create no matter where and when could be claimed by my employers? If you have a link or something where this type of thing has happened, I would be very interested...yet another case where the Gestapo is coming in!!!! *smile*
>
>JoeK

Oh ya!
Especially if what you write becomes popular. The employer could claim that he paid for all your skills and have records to show it. He could further claim that many aspects of your software are part of his business software, even if they weren't. Have you recently read any employment contract you may have signed? How about company policies relating to moonlighting. Some companies have a policy, which employees must sign onto or are part of their contract or of company policy, which they must indicate that they have read and understood, that after you receive company training in any tool or dicipline you cannot use such after you leave the company for a period of at least one or more years. They don't want you learning their company secrets and then run off to become a competitor. You might win if you used tools and knowledge not used or necessary at work, but some owners are greedy. Do you have the money to fight them in court?

That's why, when I ran my consulting business, I delineated which skills I was brining to the job, what my prior knowledge was, any propriatary knowledge I expected to become knowledeable of, etc...

Use google to search the web for employment contract in relation to prior or learned skills, tools, etc....