[noonespecial]

Did you get paid for the work you did? If no, then probably you still own the code.

This is really good advice here. So many people miss this one. I wish it had more upmods.

When people try to screw you like this they usually rely on keeping everything as vague as possible, hoping to get as much out of you as they can and then stiff you in the end. This vagueness cuts both ways. If there was no written agreement and no pay, what you've got is a few guys working in a room on their own stuff with a verbal agreement to trade that stuff later for more undisclosed stuff (like stock, or shares, or whatever).

YOU OWN YOUR PART and you can walk with it. Of course, check with a lawyer to determine your legal exposure before doing so and have a plan of action for dealing with some very angry guys who have just realized the upper hand they thought they had has been reversed.

All I can add to this is to be sure to tell your lawyer everything you can think of. Sometimes things that seem irrelevant to you have magical legal significance.

[readyrnot]

No I've not been paid for anything. My lawyer at one point mentioned that if I was they could use that to say "oh we've paid him, that's what we agreed to as compensation". So I believe you're correct in this aspect. I"ll ask my lawyer again.

[menloparkbum]

how do you survive if you haven't been paid for a year?

[readyrnot]

This is side work, I have another job.

[_ecga]

You should really talk to a lawyer about this. Oral agreements can be binding and enforceable. If this project is big enough that the founders would actually fight you, then you definitely should not assume that no written agreement equals no deal. Unfortunately, the short answer is that it's complicated.