I have been under many such contracts and find the wording very broad spectrum with many loops holes and here is how I weigh these type of situations.

Is my "moonlighting" in the same line of products or services that would benefit the company or be in direct competition with the company I work for? If the answer is yes then there are two options quit the job and wait the amount of time in the initial contract when hiring which in most cases is a year before you can produce anything that would be in competition with the company so you better have a job at McDonalds for a year or another company without an IP in effect when hiring so you can produce your invention at the end of the year. Some companies will go to the extent to make sure you did not think of it while working with them or come up with the idea by something you discovered while working there, times are tough people and nobody will think about bending you over. OR keep your job and wait till you are laid off or retired to work on your side project and hope nobody else comes up with the same idea out of necessity as that is how most inventions are born in the first place.

Now if the "moonlighting" has absolutely nothing to do with the company you work with in any form or fashion and couldn't contribute anything to that company in any way unless they started a new product line which 99.99% of the time that will not happen. In a case like that grab a sudo name and forge a head in a professional manner and hope the company you work for is a reputable company and will support your "moonlighting" (if they find out about it) and want to keep you as you may be more of an asset to them with your innovative thinking. Of course there is a certain amount of BS and the ability to pour it on as this will be effective... when in doubt LIE!

Outside of those two options there really isn't much else you can do... there is ALWAYS a loop hole all you have to do is find it first!

I too have bought cd's after hearing mp3's. I was at one time a professional musician, by that I mean I played gigs and got paid for it. We did a few recordings locally and gave the tapes (it was a long time ago, prior to cd's) to anyone and everyone that would listen, for free. It was never my intention to be rich on my music I did it mainly for others listening pleasures, I was a musician with a day job.

Now my boys are musicians just getting started in the music business, which they hope to get rich in. I have been mass producing their new single and giving it out for free, even have it as an offer on Napster and MP3.com. Now I am getting from the kids the same mentality as those that want to get rich off of their music....Hey Mom don't give it away then nobody will want to buy it. Well given they are fairly new to the music world nobody would even hear much of their music if I didn't give it away either, so that I see as a two sided blade.

Back to my orginal rant.....I introduced my parents to Napster a few weeks ago. My parents have subscriptions to RCA and some other monthly pay for cd/tapes clubs. They have been getting the leaflets of artists to choose from and running out of cd's to choose from by artist name alone. With Napster they have been exposed to other artists that they have not heard before which has opened the market for them to purchase cd's from their club that they would not have previously considered because they hadn't been exposed to the groups music.

Napster is great for exposure and expanding musical preferrences, I myself download mp3's of artists I have never heard of to expand my personal taste in all the variety that is offered without having the added expense. But in turn I will buy the cd of the ones I like. MP3's are great but nothing replaces having the cd with the inserts and artist information as keepsakes.

Napster is like so many other things in life...a double sided blade and I'm affraid just like so many other double sided blades in life it will take the open minded individual to see it.

But thats just my 2 cents.