Run: Intellectual Property Assignment Policy

This policy establishes the company's ownership rights in work product created in the course of employment, requires disclosure of prior inventions, and sets the process for assigning intellectual property rights to the company where permitted by law.

This policy applies to all employees, officers, interns, consultants, and contractors who create, contribute to, or have access to company work product, whether on-site, remote, or using company systems, equipment, data, or confidential information.

For purposes of this policy, the terms below have the meanings listed in the Definitions section. If a term is not defined here, it should be interpreted consistently with applicable law and any signed employment, invention assignment, or confidentiality agreement.

1. **Company Ownership of Work Product**: To the maximum extent permitted by law, all work product created within the scope of employment, within the course of performing company duties, or using company time, resources, systems, or confidential information is the exclusive property of the company. 2. **Duty to Disclose**: Employees must promptly disclose to the company any invention, discovery, development, improvement, or other work product that may be subject to assignment under this policy. 3. **Prior Inventions Disclosure**: Before or at the start of employment, employees must identify any prior inventions or pre-existing intellectual property that they wish to exclude from company ownership. Failure to disclose a prior invention may result in a presumption that the item is company property to the extent allowed by law. 4. **Obligation to Assign**: Employees agree to assign, and hereby do assign where permitted by law, all right, title, and interest in work product that belongs to the company under this policy or any signed agreement. 5. **Assistance After Employment**: Employees must reasonably assist the company, during and after employment, with documentation, signatures, filings, and other actions needed to secure, maintain, or enforce company rights in assigned intellectual property, subject to applicable law and compensation requirements.

1. **Initial Disclosure**: New hires must complete a prior inventions disclosure form during onboarding and identify any excluded inventions, works, or materials. 2. **Ongoing Disclosure**: Employees must notify HR, Legal, or their manager in writing as soon as practicable after creating potentially protectable work product. 3. **Review and Classification**: The company will review disclosures to determine whether the item is company-owned, jointly owned, excluded as a prior invention, or subject to third-party rights. 4. **Assignment Documentation**: When assignment is required, the employee must sign any reasonable documents needed to confirm ownership, including invention assignment agreements, copyright assignments, or patent-related documents. 5. **Recordkeeping**: The company will maintain disclosure records, signed assignments, and related approvals in accordance with its retention and confidentiality practices.

**Employees / Covered Workers**: Disclose prior inventions, identify excluded materials, promptly report new work product, and cooperate with assignment documentation. **Managers**: Escalate potential inventions or ownership questions to HR or Legal and avoid making ownership promises without approval. **HR / Legal**: Administer disclosure forms, review exclusions, coordinate assignment documents, and ensure the policy is applied consistently with applicable law. **Policy Holder**: Approve exceptions, resolve ownership disputes, and ensure the policy is updated when laws or business practices change.

Failure to comply with this policy may result in corrective action, up to and including termination of employment or contract, subject to applicable law and any collective bargaining obligations. The company will not require assignment of inventions that are excluded by statute, created entirely on the employee's own time without use of company resources, or otherwise protected from assignment under applicable law. Any exception must be approved in writing by the policy holder or Legal. This policy does not limit rights protected by the NLRA, including protected concerted activity, or any rights under the FLSA, FMLA, ADA, EEOC-enforced laws, or other applicable employment laws.

This policy will be reviewed at least annually and updated as needed to reflect changes in business practices, state invention-assignment requirements, and applicable intellectual property law. California employees: any invention assignment provisions must be reviewed for compliance with California Labor Code Sections 2870-2872. Other state-specific restrictions, notice requirements, or employee rights will be applied where required by law.