Now something else. And my apologies if this is the wrong place, I don't know where to put it.
Some time ago I had the very bad idea of hiring someone, and he worked for me for one year. While under my employment, he wrote a report. After completing employment he used the report to complete his Master studies, not acknowledging neither me nor the funding body. Not very polite or ethical, but there you go.
Now, I am using some of what he wrote in the report for an article, of which he will be co-author.
Now he is threatening me, that unless I do particular things I can't use what he wrote.
Since he was working under my employment, it seems obvious to me that what he wrote belongs to me (after all, if you are paid to build a house, you don't get to keep the house once you finish building it).
I wonder if anybody has any idea of what the law says exactly? I haven't been able to google it (I guess I put the wrong keywords).
Does the law says that he has to agree for me, for me to publish some stuff that he wrote under my employment (both of our names would be on it)?
Can he request particular conditions (such as adding someone else's name?
Again, I am putting him as a co-author, thus acknowledging his contribution (I also put A LOT of work in it myself) but I don't think I legally have to.
Final note: sometimes you get to hire complete nutcases