Re: How do I approach this?


Phil,

Having many years managing s/w development in the corporate world, here is
my take on this:

Your Position
My understanding of what you've stated is that you are NOT after financial
compensation. Your goals are to a) have a claim to ownership, and b)
recognition for "above and beyond" by your current employer.

Based on this understanding, here are the things I would be thinking about
from the Corp perspective:

Company Position
1. Formally recognizing you as the "owner" would potentially make the
application available to one or more competitors.

2. While you may not be seeking financial compensation now, formal
recognition of you as the sole owner would leave an opening for you to
demand compensation later - an amount that hasn't been determined yet.
This is an even bigger problem if I put this into use, having resource
levels and procedures dependent on the s/w.

What I Would Recommend
You should have an open conversation with the appropriate decision-maker
sooner rather than later. Explain your goals. As you are NOT employed in
a s/w development capacity, I would be open to an arrangement that:

1. Gives the company perpetual license to use and further develop the
application. Full source code would be given to the company. There would
be a restriction preventing the company from selling or distributing the
application in any form. The license is intended for the company's
internal use only.

2. You retain ultimate ownership with full rights to further develop,
market, distribute or throw away. You would be restricted from making the
software available to a direct competitor.

At the end of the day, I would look internally to see if there is a fit for
you in the development group. This arrangement would paint a picture of
you that shows a motivated, thoughtful individual. An individual working
to better himself and "going the extra mile" for the benefit of the
company.


Best of luck!
.