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by yolo42 2385 days ago
> What kind of outcome do you want?

I wish I knew myself better.

Maintenance and taking the product forward will naturally become part of my job, so that's a given (and I'm happy about it).

What can I ask more for is what I'm trying to figure out and having a hard time.

I'm generally creative with software and products but I'm really bad when it comes to negotiations and figuring out a good barter.

I absolutely don't want to take the legal route and want to work something out mutually.

4 comments

Consider asking for a title that reflects that ("Open Source Product Director - your product name" or something)

It doesn't cost them anything, and in the future if you leave it's surprisingly useful if that is a direction you want to go.

I know you are getting a lot of advice saying "get a lawyer". That's up to you.

> I'm really bad when it comes to negotiations and figuring out a good barter.

> I absolutely don't want to take the legal route and want to work something out mutually.

You know, a good lawyer is both good at listening to his client’s goals and good at negotiating. Such a lawyer would avoid a “scorched earth” outcome, if that’s what you want, and also negotiate a better deal than you could on your own. Lawyers who specialize in business transactions are sometimes called transactional lawyers (as opposed to litigators, who specialize in asserting claims in court).

Many lawyers are very good at negotiating. It is part of the job, in many corporate deals idea is not to fuck the counter party but come up with everyone is sort of happy solution.

If you are in Canada I can recommend someone who is good, former software engineer and does IP law.

And both of you will be better off if that thing you work out is sound and in both your interest. Perhaps you’re both happy now, but what about next year? What about when you move to another company? Take the advice: consult with a lawyer.