Intellectual Property

Skip Bailey, a polyfoam engineering expert, was hired to work for Beach Boys Enterprises, the world’s preeminent designer and manufacturer of surf boards, snow boards and skateboards. Skip was never asked to signed an agreement to assign inventive rights to the company’s patents, although such agreements were standard procedure for all his previous employment. A few years later Beach Boys filed a numbe rof patent applications derived in whole or part from Skip’s work. Skip was listed as co-inventor on a just two of the six. As to the two applications where he was listed Skip was asked to and did execute assignment agreements and received a modest bonus. Skip later discovers the four patent applications where he was no listed and when he inquired of the same Beach Boys refused to provide any additional compensation. Skip sues. Who owns the rights to these inventions?