Work for hire, compensation uncertain

Many employees are involved in company R&D projects, and what they invent in the process is usually belong to their employer.  But do the employees have any right to extra compensation if these inventions turn out to be wildly successful?

A recent Japanese case granting one such employee (the inventor of the blue LED) nearly $200 million has caused elation among employees and alarm among businesses.  A new piece by four lawyers (from Bristows of London, Véron & Associés of Paris, and Rospatt Osten Pross of Düsseldorf) explores the issues as they play out in Britain, France, and Germany.