Intellectual Property Help Needed

[brutada]

I work in the state of NH and did contract work on wedding invitations for a company. I was employed by the company, but the invitation work I did was not part of my salary, I was paid separate for that work.

I have since left that company. There was no contract for any of the work and I have gotten permission from the clients to use the designs to help promote my own business I have started for the invitations.

Are there any legal ramifications to using these designs that I did while employed at the other company?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Michael Wechsler]

I don't know what the details of your contractual arrangement were with your former employer. If you were employed as in "employee" then chances are that the work you've done is owned by the employer. If you were an independent contractor who was employed (in the general sense of the word employment) then chances are they may likely not own some of the work you created. As of now I don't know what your job was with the prior company and it's not clear. Nor does "permission from the clients" mean much to me unless it is clear and in writing. The legal ramifications are set forth above and the question is whether the design creation was a part of your work and, if you were an employee, the likelihood being greater that you may not own the designs.