[TriLUG] legal question

[Marc M]

Hello:  

I have a 'technical' question that does not involve technology
specifically, but I am hoping that someone on the list can help me.  I
have an employment possibility doing Red Hat Enterprise Linux and a
lot of security stuff.  I really want the job but they are making me
sign this Stalinist contract to the effect that ANYTHING now or in the
future (thoughts, concepts, software, plans, processes, RECORDINGS,
images, etc.) -- is THEIRS.  You wouldn't believe it if I had time to
type everything.  Basically I am a slave to them from now on.

That's right, anything NOW OR IN THE FUTURE, on the job or off.  So if
you are configuring/writing/tweaking software all day, one would
<think> that you would later be liable or subject to just about
anything they want to claim.  Think about it.   Who doesn't learn and
grow from one job to another?  Who doesn't apply
things/practices/habits/processes, from place A to place B?

I beat out every other candidate from multiple agencies with this.  I
have come a LOOOOONG way in this process with the recruiter and I am
formulating a letter to the effect of 'I am sorry but I am not signing
my life away and if it's a dealbreaker so be it'.   I also included
some HUGE info to show that I am interested in 'educating' these
recruiter types as to the restrictions they are placing on something
that is suppossed to be 'open'.   I am beginning to conclude that some
people and opportunities are not worth fooling with, since they come
with more headaches than they are worth.

Does anyone know a qualified lawyer in the space of OSS that
understands contracts, employment, and the GPL for starters?  If
someone can represent me in this matter I may actually be able to go
forward and strike through terms and conditions.   And have any of you
run into similar situations?  What did you do?   Finally let me
underscore that this goes WAAAY beyond the typical 'trade
secrets'/proprietary information type verbiage, which I would consider
normal and reasonable under most circumstances.

Thanks
Marc