Re: Can employers forbid you from talking about IETF activities?

[James K. Murray \(AMSS Mail\)]

Employers have the inherent option of forbidding any activities NOT related
to your "conditions of employment".  Now, I am new to the IETF announcement
list, and it was my impression, which I now concede was the wrong
impression, that I would be informed via Email of any new Internet Drafts.
While I can appreciate members dilemmas, I think these discussions are
better suited for chat rooms.  If I am on the wrong mailing list, please
advise.

James

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Haisley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Nicolai Schlenzig (DXD)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'Scott
Bradner'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2001 10:38 AM
Subject: Re: Can employers forbid you from talking about IETF activities?


> Well...I'm sure Cisco, and Microsoft already have individuals on their
staff
> who's sole job is to interact with orginizations such as the ietf...  But
of
> course this wasn't the original topic of this thread...the fact of if
> employers can forbid you from talking about ietf activites...of course
they
> can if it's in your contract.  Its much the same as the situation free
> software writers get into with companys who think they own their work...
A
> fairly clear letter of authorization/wavier of contract rights should be
> pursued before begining work on a project to keep yourself in the clear...
>
> -Mike
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Nicolai Schlenzig (DXD)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "'Scott Bradner'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>;
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2001 9:02 AM
> Subject: RE: Can employers forbid you from talking about IETF activities?
>
>
> > > > The alternative, IMO, is to have IETF participants who are
> > > employed by
> > > > industry companies such as Cisco and Microsoft viewed as official
> > > > representatives of their companies rather than as
> > > individual (and independent)
> > > > participants.
> > >
> > > would the Cisco rep's opinion count the same as the rep for Bill's
> > > Bits-to-Go apartment-building-wide ISP?
> >
> > I don't see why not. If any person can argument for his/she's cause and
> that is held up to actual facts - A's opinion would be as good as B's
> opinion. You cannot judge a persons knowledge on a given subject by simply
> looking at his workplace.
> >
> > Of course Cisco or whatever large company probably have chosen their
rep.
> with good care and from the first look his opinion would count more. But
> going into details you might be surprised how little a "general" rep. from
a
> large company can know about certain topics, but still they have to
> represent it because it's their job (Who says they even have an interest).
> The little fellow from bits2go... might as well be an expert on topic as
> he/she could have been working on topic for a decades!
> >
> > Conclusion: John Doe at Big-O-Mighty-World-wide-Company might not know
as
> much as Jack Doe from Little-and-Extremely-Competent-Company on a given
> topic.
> >
> > My 2 cents
> >
> > -NS
> >
>
>