Former Volunteer; Am I Obligated to Help With Ownership Transition?

[formervolunteer]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Maryland

I volunteered to lead a company for 2.5 years. The basic operational costs were payed by a parent company, but I was never given (or promised) any compensation. During this time, I volunteered for over 40 hrs per week and spent several thousand dollars on development and design projects. I also created various social media accounts for the company.

The parent company was purchased and I have stopped volunteering. Who owns the development/design projects that I personally paid for? Who owns the social media accounts? Am I obligated to help with the transition, including giving them passwords to the social media accounts that I created? What if they refuse to buy the artwork/software that I paid to have developed, but continue to use it? Who owns the content that I created? Can I safely create a competing venture?

I've never signed anything. I live in Maryland, USA. The parent company was and is in Canada.

 

[HomeGuru]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Maryland

I volunteered to lead a company for 2.5 years. The basic operational costs were payed by a parent company, but I was never given (or promised) any compensation. During this time, I volunteered for over 40 hrs per week and spent several thousand dollars on development and design projects. I also created various social media accounts for the company.

The parent company was purchased and I have stopped volunteering. Who owns the development/design projects that I personally paid for? Who owns the social media accounts? Am I obligated to help with the transition, including giving them passwords to the social media accounts that I created? What if they refuse to buy the artwork/software that I paid to have developed, but continue to use it? Who owns the content that I created? Can I safely create a competing venture?

I've never signed anything. I live in Maryland, USA. The parent company was and is in Canada.

**A: is there a subsidiary company that does business in the US? And why work so many hours and do all the work for free?

 

[formervolunteer]

The subsidiary that I led was founded in the US, but purchased by a Canadian company in 2010. I assume it became a Canadian company at that point, but the owner was not particularly business savvy (and not always scrupulous, as far as I can tell). The new parent company is also Canadian.

I volunteered so much for two reasons: first, because it made me feel important to lead a company of 70-or-so volunteers, and second, because it taught me a number of skills that I would not otherwise have learned. For instance, I learned to organize and motivate volunteers, mitigate staff and user disputes, establish and implement a network-wide vision, etc.

 

[HomeGuru]

This site deal in US Law only.

 

[formervolunteer]

I'm in the US. Are you saying I'm somehow obligated under Canadian law?

 

[LdiJ]

I'm in the US. Are you saying I'm somehow obligated under Canadian law?

No, you are not automatically obligated under Canadian law. You are obligated as to whatever contract you signed (if you signed one at all)

 

[formervolunteer]

No, I never signed any contract, nor any document of any kind.

Who owns the software/artwork that I paid for out of pocket? What if they continue to use these items, but refuse to reimburse me for them?

The social media accounts that I created for them--am I obligated to help them with ownership transition?

Your insight/counsel is sincerely appreciated!

 

[tranquility]

See an attorney. You must probably give them their material and what you developed when working for them and gave them is probably their material. I'm not sure of all the legalities of your situation, but not much seems clear. You need a local attorney to review the facts. This is a mess and you need to be careful or could wind up on the wrong end of a lawsuit. That you may have claims as well should be more thought. Of as a shield and not a sword.

 

[formervolunteer]

Thank you for the reply!