Source
r/legaladvice•
Insanire

[RI]Question about ownership of intellectual property.

I guess it's considered intellectual property, anyhow. Here's the story:

I am, or was part of a non-profit organization here in Rhode Island. Last year I did the program book for a large event they hold every year. They asked me to do it again this year, but there are some issues and we're about to have a falling out. They are going to try to force my hand in a situation, and when they do I will be quitting all work on the book and not resuming it. They may want me to hand over what work I've done, but I don't want to, nor do I feel I should. Am I correct in thinking that the work I have done on said book would constitute as my intellectual property? Or is there a more correct phrase or term for it?

Posted Apr 6, 2015, 12:13 AM UTC

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mbruns2•

Did they pay you (even a penny), or reimburse you for any expenses?

2
InsanireOP•

Negative. In fact, I paid for the license for the design software.

1
Ramady•

To be clear, you were a volunteer, right? Not an employee?

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InsanireOP•

Yes, not an employee.

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SagittariaKnows•

If no one paid you and no one made you sign anything the "not-legal term" would be - pound sand it figure it out yourself. You don't owe them anything.

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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grasshoppa1•

Am I correct in thinking that the work I have done on said book would constitute as my intellectual property?

Absent an agreement to the contrary, you are probably correct. However, they likely have a license to use your work.

0
InsanireOP•

Not that I am aware of. I never signed anything, there was no verbal agreement beyond, "Will you make this for us?" and "Okay."

1
grasshoppa1•

Then like I said, you likely own the IP but they have the right to use it.

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InsanireOP•

But is that the right to use the final, finished and printed product, or the right to the raw data, so to speak? Cable companies have the right to broadcast TV shows, but they don't have the right to take a show before final editing, change it around, and then claim it as theirs.

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SagittariaKnows•

Tell them to figure it out. Walk away. Even an employer can't make you finish out a project. You can wake up on Monday and decide you want to move to Bora Bora and not come back.

You're a volunteer. You can unvolunteer anytime you want to.

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