[djmcmath]

Strange business. Seems to me that the consensus is either that (a) agreements like this are only selectively enforced and (b) impossible to enforce to the written limits. So while it says that I can't have the USG as a customer of mine for 1 year after I leave, as long as I don't take their _actual_ customer (a specific subset of NAVSEA, in this case), they probably won't enforce. If they do, a court is unlikely to decide in their favor? Or, if the court does decide in their favor, they are only likely to do so if the company is willing to provide a 1 year severance? Or should I address this up front?

The patent business just seems odd -- this is NOT a patent-filing group. There is no part of my job description that even remotely resembles anything relating to patentable work. It just seems like if I, on my own time, develop a patentable item that is wholly unrelated to my paid job, that should be all mine. Am I crazy?

I really would like this job, I think. It's a big step up in terms of responsibility and pay, so I don't want to rock the boat too much over what is probably just boiler-plate. I just don't feel comfortable, I guess.

Thanks for all the thoughts on the topic.

Dan