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A comment on Ask HN: Who here has built a profitable startup while keeping their day job?. Parent comment

Re:Ask HN: Who here has built a profitable startup while kee... by farresito on Wednesday September 26, 2018 @01:38PM (#18078345)
> [...] or away from work, using my own equipment, on my own time [...]

That sounds illegal.

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Re:Ask HN: Who here has built a profitable startup while kee... by vorpalhex on Wednesday September 26, 2018 @02:12PM (#18078697)
Even if it is totally illegal, you're still going to go to court to fight it, and lawyers are expensive. Nobody sane is going to spend 30k+ going to trial on a side project.
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Re:Ask HN: Who here has built a profitable startup while kee... by beat on Wednesday September 26, 2018 @02:35PM (#18078939)
On the flip side, no sane company is going to sue a former (or current) employee for IP ownership over work they did in their off hours - especially if it isn't directly related to the company's own business.
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Re:Ask HN: Who here has built a profitable startup while kee... by vorpalhex on Wednesday September 26, 2018 @02:59PM (#18079156)
They could file the suit and then drop it last second. Most large companies have several lawyers on staff, so it's not really any additional cost.
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Re:Ask HN: Who here has built a profitable startup while kee... by beat on Wednesday September 26, 2018 @03:26PM (#18079394)
Sure, they could, but they could do that whether or not there's verbiage about it in your contract. This is a problem with balance of power between large corporations and individuals, not with the contract conditions.
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Re:Ask HN: Who here has built a profitable startup while kee... by carlosdp on Wednesday September 26, 2018 @01:46PM (#18078448)
It is illegal in California
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Re:Ask HN: Who here has built a profitable startup while kee... by ryandrake on Wednesday September 26, 2018 @02:10PM (#18078677)
It is legal in California if the company can show a conflict of interest.
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Re:Ask HN: Who here has built a profitable startup while kee... by CryoLogic on Wednesday September 26, 2018 @01:49PM (#18078484)
And Washington State. But actually some states (Montana comes to mind) have laws that can restrict you to one employer at a time.
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