[sqeaky]

I suspect that in the long run common contracts like that will become invalidated and a legal quagmire.

I have seen several contracts wanting to claim ownership over everything I write. I don't sign them, but it seems most people do and often do so at multiple contracting firms and employers. There are companies that should be having arguments with each over who own what contractors code.

Clearly this is not a reasonable situation and clearly it is unreasonable to try to screw a developer out of everything he owns and clearly it is hard to get a job without signing something like this. The runs afoul of anti-competition laws and basic decency. I am sure it will stand in some shitty jurisdictions and completely fail in others, but many already have some kind of work for pay law that transfers IP to the people paying for it by default and that seems pretty reasonable.