Today I had a bad surprise learning about some implications of the GPL license, mainly that I couldn't use it as freely as I thought.
Now I know.
What else should I know, and more widely, what should every developer know about legal things like that?
You can separate employees, freelancers, open source projects contributors (etc.) or give a more broad answer.
I think Legal Guide to Web & Software Development by Stephen Fishman Attorney is what you're looking for.
Review
An amazing book! Answers nearly every legal question you can imagine and some you would have never thought of. -- John Dvorak, PC Magazine
Covers every imaginable detail important to such a rapidly growing and intangible medium. -- Entrepreneur
This book passes my own personal test for legal guides --with higher marks than any other legal guide. -- Jeff Duntemann, Editor, PC Techniques Magazine
Product Description
Protect your rights, and your hard work!
The laws covering website and software development are complex and confusing, but if you don't untangle them, it could cost you thousands of dollars in attorneys' fees and lawsuits.
Fortunately, Legal Guide to Web & Software Development decodes this complex area of the law, thoroughly and in reader-friendly English. It also provides contracts, agreements and legal forms on CD-ROM, with step-by-step instructions for filling them out, so you can protect your software and website without paying a lawyer's ransom.
Use Legal Guide to Web & Software Development to learn:
- what kind of legal protection you need
- the strengths and limitations of each type of protection
- how to avoid infringement
- which provisions you need when drafting an agreement
- how to obtain permission to use other people's materials
You'll find complete, step-by-step instructions to draft:
- employment agreements
- contractor and consultant agreements
- development agreements
- license agreements
6.If you have an employee who develops software "off the clock," you should make it clear who owns > that software, and what kind of software the employee should be able to write and distribute outside of the company.
freedom of speech right as stated in most constitutions (esp. if devs make free s/w off-the-clock) can make such terms fail miserably in courts