How do we stop stupid a$$ directors from stealing IPs from good engineers? Case in point, I know one engineer who spent a considerable amount of time developing an IP, director liked it, went to the board and got rejected. Then this slimeball Director, took the idea, did a small tweak and gave it to one his favs and now they are resubmitting it. Plus this slimeball Director added his name even though he didnt do a thing. I realize this happens a lot, so I have little respect for patents when Directors/VPs get their name added. Sad sad little world we live in.
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Your director will have an easier time making VP of her has something in Einstein.
Add far as your IP, if you don't think you'll stay with Qualcomm don't fully develop the concept in your mind until after you leave, and make sure you can testify to that convincingly. Save the real development of the idea for your next gig.
Sort of like how Irwin and Viterbi worked on aspects of CDMA for the military, then put it together outside of government contract.
Than you Anonymous97716. The conclusion is then we all work at a patent brothel full of patent whores.
The official legal position of Qualcomm w/r/t IP discoveries by engineers is: All UR IP R belong to us.
Burried in you employment contract, your non-disclosure agreement, or the policy manual that you invariably signed off as having read--and which is legally binding, you agree that all IP you discover or contribute to in any way belongs to Qualcomm. And they are not obligated to pay you for it, since they already pay your salary; although recognizing that you contributed with a gratuity like rapidly tanking RSUs is one way for Qualcomm to do CYA. Managers and engineers who steal ideas and pass them off as their own, or who "glom" onto patents in hope of increasing their bonuses, are referred to as "patent whores" by many attorneys who deal in IP. The amount most of them understand about the technology would fit on the head of a pin; but they often have to be deposed in infringement cases, because they are named.
Well, if you really had a good idea that you think you could build a solution for and make money yourself on, your first mistake would be to try to patent it under Qualcomm's roof. Just saying.