Talent war & employment contracts -- EA vs Ubisoft

cbenoi1 · 2003-10-20T11:22:17

I though it could be useful to report a bit on the recent war for talent between EA and Ubisoft in Montreal (QC, Canada). The matter is educational as far-reaching non-competitive contract clauses are becoming the norm. Last August, EA announced it would open up a new studio facility in Montreal; and that studio would develop brand new franchises from scratch. That''s enough to attract a huge pool of very experienced talent. There were something like 1500 resumes sent for 15 positions. 50 of those resumes came from neighboring Ubisoft, and 5 of them got a job at EA. On the 29th August, Ubisoft asked the courts for an injunction that would prevent its former 5 employees from crossing over to EA, fearful they would leak trade secrets. It so happens that the employees signed a non-competitive agreement as part of their employment contracts, which prevents them from working for a competitor for a full year, in Canada, the US and Mexico. One of the 5, Francois C. Pelland - the lead level designer for SplinterCell, is now without a job until the matter is settled in court on October 6th. At the heart of the problem is determining if such a clause can prevent someone from earning a living in the line of work he or she chooses. -cb

Games Business and Law Business

Started by cbenoi1 September 25, 2003 09:51 AM

10 comments, last by cbenoi1 21 years, 1 month ago

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October 15, 2003 10:59 AM

Here is a link...
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/splintercell/news_6076727.html

Also, I hope Ubisoft goes to hell. =)
Their business practices are like that of a McDonalds. They know you want their product, but they don''t give two craps about the product, or about you either.
But even a teenage, minimum-wage worker in a local burger joint has better customer service, and technical support than Ubisoft.

Sorry... I''m a disgruntled customer.

- "People sleep peacefully in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
-George Orwell

- "People sleep peacefully in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."-George Orwell