title: Engineering and the law-employment obligations. I. Duties of an employee to his employer.
abstract: Problems that arise in connection with duties to the current employer(s) are discussed. Current employment law evolved from the feudal relationship between lords and peasants. An employee has a fiduciary duty toward his employer; this is a common law duty deriving its name from the duty of fides, or fidelity, between the master and the servant. In the case of a scientist or engineer employed to conduct research and/or development for a company or university, fiduciary duties obligate the employee to offer all benefits of the work he conducts for the employer to the employer. A scientist or engineer with interests that are adverse to a potential employer must disclose the existence and extent of such interests. An employee has a duty not to compete with his employer concerning the subject matter of the employment; this duty has been documented extensively in legal cases. An employee also has a duty not to act, or agree to act, for third parties whose interest conflict with those of his employer.
authors.affiliation: Nat. Center for Preventative Law, Denver Univ. Coll. of Law, CO.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Richards