Law and excel

[sitac2006]

Hi all

Quick question that i was wondering if anyone was aware of the answer

I have designed roughly 6 worksheets for a company all of the worksheets were designed in my time and on my personel computer at home, No one at work asked me to design the sheets but the worksheets have helped the company out and we now use them all the time.

Now my question is legally where do we stand on ownership of these files ?
Are they mine so i can delete them and tell the company to never use them again or can they use them without my consent ?

The reason why i ask is beacuse the manager says that anything on there computers gives them ownership.

This is an Australian company so Australian rules would apply i presume.

Does anyone have any advice on security so that people know its your work without it being altered ?

Any help is much appreciated

Regards


Brian

 

[Smitty]

Welcome to the Board!

That's a difficult one to answer.

If you let the company use them, even after designing them on your time, without getting previous agreement from the company as to their status, then you may very well be screwed.

And if the company has embedded their own personal data into your wb's then you are dealing with their proprietary information and could have real issues if you prevent them from getting access to it.

You may want to consult with a lawyer if the manager's not being reasonable. Although if they don't want to recognize your contributions above and beyond what's expected do you really want to be working there anyway?

Good luck,

Smitty

 

[SydneyGeek]

Most businesses take the view that work done on their equipment, and / or by their staff, is their IP. As Smitty said, if you argue the toss without some prior agreement, good luck.

Still, if the work you did has become a major part of how they operate, some recognition could be in order: bonus, raise, attendance at a course / conference, whatever you can negotiate.

In the early 90's a guy working for the NCSA in America created the first web browser, in his spare time. NCSA claimed it as theirs, the guy said no way, it was in my own time. They couldn't agree so Marc Andreesen went off and founded Netscape.

Denis

 

[David2e]

Hi Brian

I doubt they can simply say 'anything on their computers gives them ownership'. They do not own the software on it.

There are ways you can protect your excel work... limit how they can be used, and ensure your details are 'embedded' into it.

It might be good to know more on your situation there... as there may be ways you could reasonably remove your work whilst leaving them with access to their data... along the lines of removing the formula.

Although I am also Australian, I can foresee myself in a similar situation in the UK with a client... only that my Excel work (like you - my time, computers etc) will not be useable by him in the very near future, but none of it has been paid so I am waiting for him to jump up & down.

Generally by Australian law, your work is automatically given copyright... simplisticly speaking... but then it may come to proving it is your work, proving the agreement on it's use between you & your employer etc.

Drop me a PM if you would like to discuss more on it.

Cheers

David