4. If you are asked to sign an agreement with your employer assigning rights in inventions, you should be aware: these agreements are generally regulated by state statutes, so you should be aware of the relevant law in your State. you will always own the rights to inventions made after work hours. if you say, "no, I'll pass. I plan to keep my inventions", the employer will usually be cool with that and will not make you sign the agreement the employer can require you to also assign inventions made prior to your employement