I was asked to sign a contract like that and I had my current employer change it so that it didn't include those lines/words.
I can't indemnify someone against patent lawsuits. I can't know whether the code I am writing that is coming out of my head is in a patent somewhere. Not only that, but the contract asked me to assign to the company any and all ideas/thoughts/previous work that may or may NOT be relevant to their line of business and that by signing I had agreed I had done so (not even to the best of my knowledge, so if I forgot to give them a text file that I wrote years ago with a great idea then I'd technically be in violation).
Under no circumstances am I going to sign over any part of my work prior to the employment contract, nor am I going to sign over work that is completed on my own personal equipment outside of company time that isn't for the company.
To me it just felt like they were overreaching, and the guy I was discussing this with told me that wasn't their intention and that I should just go ahead and sign it because they would never hold it against me, and I told him no, I told him to go fix it, then maybe I'd sign it.
Sounds familiar, except for the part where your employer changed the words.
This offer also came with verbal assurances that it was just a formality so I should just sign it.
I offered them two potential solutions. I had my lawyer modify their docs so they'd be acceptable to me, and I also offered my own docs which are specifically drawn up to be just about as even-handed as legal documents can get (I sign regularly as both buyer and seller), but they didn't find either of the options satisfactory.
I'm somewhat disappointed that it didn't work out, because the work was very well suited to my background and the other team members seemed great; but if that's how management treated me while trying to convince me to join their team, god only knows how they would've treated me down the road.
After that fell apart, I wound up with a new primary client who was much more reasonable. They passed me lousy docs, and I asked if we could use my docs instead. After a reasonably quick review from their legal counsel and some minor tweaks, we were off to the races.
This offer also came with verbal assurances that it was just a formality so I should just sign it.
This excuse is common, and is nonsense. If they don't plan to litigate based on it (or hold you to it) (which is what they are verbally telling you), then they would have no problem with you scribblying it out. Their answer to that tells you their intent.
if that's how management treated me while trying to convince me to join their team, god only knows how they would've treated me down the road.
And how would they have treated you down the road if you had signed away all your rights and given them a golden ticket in the NDA?
I can't indemnify someone against patent lawsuits. I can't know whether the code I am writing that is coming out of my head is in a patent somewhere. Not only that, but the contract asked me to assign to the company any and all ideas/thoughts/previous work that may or may NOT be relevant to their line of business and that by signing I had agreed I had done so (not even to the best of my knowledge, so if I forgot to give them a text file that I wrote years ago with a great idea then I'd technically be in violation).
Under no circumstances am I going to sign over any part of my work prior to the employment contract, nor am I going to sign over work that is completed on my own personal equipment outside of company time that isn't for the company.
To me it just felt like they were overreaching, and the guy I was discussing this with told me that wasn't their intention and that I should just go ahead and sign it because they would never hold it against me, and I told him no, I told him to go fix it, then maybe I'd sign it.