By itself, a recipe is not protected by copyright law because it is only a list of ingredients. See U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 33, Works Not Protected By Copyright.

However, a recipe embedded in detailed instructions on how to combine the ingredients, especially when written in your... View More

It depends on your agreement, which it appears in itself might be hard to prove.

In New York, a trade secret has three parts: (1) information (2) economic value from not being generally known by others, and (3) reasonable efforts have been taken to protect the trade secret. In New York, courts look at six factors to determine if information should be considered a trade secret:... View More

If you were an independent contractor as opposed to an employee, the work for hire doctrine wouldn’t apply absent a signed writing to that effect executed by both parties to the contract. However, whether you would be considered an “employee” for the purposes of copyright law is not as simple... View More

There are too many variables that aren't addressed in your question to give an answer in this forum. You should reach out to an employment/labor attorney; many of us provide free consultations.

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answered on Dec 8, 2022

Generally, no. Employees in New York State are presumed to be “at-will,” meaning that the employment relationship can be terminated at any time for any reason, by either the employee or the employer, unless there is a law or contractual agreement to the contrary.

This is something that an employment law attorney should advise on, but your question remains open for three weeks. Small Claims Court is a court of limited jurisdiction, in terms of money caps and the scope of matters handled. It is often for straightforward disputes involving money damages up to... View More

It depends on the exact wording of your contract, if any, and/or any verbal agreements they can prove. An evaluation can only be based on a detailed confidential legal review of your particular situation.

This is something you may want to sit down and discuss with your insurance broker. In terms of employer's coverage, if you mean insurance for workplace accidents, that would be your workers' comp policy. That covers injuries arising in the course of employment. You may also have a policy... View More

If the contract expired but you are still performing services, there maybe an argument that this is a contract agreed to by the conduct of the parties. The problem is that account to the Statute of Frauds can enforce the terms of this non-written agreement if you ask more than $500.

That... View More

That depends. Under U.S. Supreme Court precedent you do have some expectation of privacy at your place of employment, though not to the same degree as in your home. You can also waive these rights to varying degrees if you agreed to any terms of service when logging in to your work computer system... View More

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answered on Nov 2, 2022

You are entitled to be paid for all hours that you worked, even if you had not completed your paperwork when you performed the work.

This seems to be the question about employment law. Whether the decision to fire you is legal depends on many aspects including, whether you had a contract in writing specifically saying you should be fired for cause.

I'm sorry your question went unnoticed under the Civil Rights and Constitutional Law headings for four weeks. One option is to repost under the Employment Law category. Some questions do go unanswered. If still no response, another option is to look into the cost of a brief consult with an... View More

You quite possibly have a disability discrimination case, depending upon how "reasonable" your request to work from home was. Probably more important, however, is the fact that you haven't been paid OT in 3 years. If you are a nonexempt employee, and are therefore entitled to... View More

The short answer is no, they cannot. If they dock your compensation to pay for the cracked window they are making an unlawful deduction.

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answered on Oct 1, 2022

New York law requires employers to provide most employees a thirty-minute meal break when working more than six hours a day. See https://dol.ny.gov/day-rest-and-meal-periods. Since you state that you are working no more than six hours a day (and if you are not occasionally working over six hours a... View More

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answered on Sep 22, 2022

There are no minimum hour requirements.

Some employees can be paid premium pay when they are subject to scheduling changes on short notice.

New York State recognizes a right to "call-in pay," but only if the worker is required to report to work. Usually, restaurant or... View More

If you are merely helping out without pay the I would not consider it employment.

It probably depends on what you were saying.