Who owns the code, who owns the algorithm, who owns the idea?
- by Vorac
This question got me thinking what products of the programming effort belong to the employer, and what don't.
The two extremes are (0) the code - it apparently belongs to the employer and (1) the learned personal and technical skills. But what is in between? Who owns the pseudocode/algorithm? Who owns the general idea of the algorithm? Who owns the know-how that such an algorithm may serve some useful purpose (e.g. on this site questions are values, as well as answers)?
Also: Who owns an idea on the web?