Let's say you wrote an article for a site about how to get started unit testing. This site also took full ownership over that article.
You, as the contributor, want to give a talk about that at a conference. You would have to make sure to not use the same language, phrases, titles, and so on.
If you did a workshop, you'd similarly have to use a different structure, phrases, and language. You could not use content from your article in any of it.
You would have to re-build, re-write, or re-invent that material. Same would be true if you decided to publish a book, zine, or anything else. You cannot use that article or its contents again until the rights are returned.
As in someone taking action for the violation? I'm not sure.
In the case of anyone's rights being transferred, yes.
Here's an easy one: Every developer in the US signs a paper in their offer transferring all IP and rights to the company. Sometimes it requires using their equipment/time, other times it's a blanket transfer of everything you produce is theirs.
You wrote an article here on a company laptop? Well, that is your company's property now.
As for more writing specific, my writing teacher has dealt with this at various points in her career. Many authors actually purchase rights tracking software. It becomes unwieldy to remember what you wrote for whom and what you're allowed to re-use or not across many years.
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The example I was given went something like this:
Let's say you wrote an article for a site about how to get started unit testing. This site also took full ownership over that article.
You, as the contributor, want to give a talk about that at a conference. You would have to make sure to not use the same language, phrases, titles, and so on.
If you did a workshop, you'd similarly have to use a different structure, phrases, and language. You could not use content from your article in any of it.
You would have to re-build, re-write, or re-invent that material. Same would be true if you decided to publish a book, zine, or anything else. You cannot use that article or its contents again until the rights are returned.
I'm curious, is there a documented case of this having ever been an issue?
As in someone taking action for the violation? I'm not sure.
In the case of anyone's rights being transferred, yes.
Here's an easy one: Every developer in the US signs a paper in their offer transferring all IP and rights to the company. Sometimes it requires using their equipment/time, other times it's a blanket transfer of everything you produce is theirs.
You wrote an article here on a company laptop? Well, that is your company's property now.
As for more writing specific, my writing teacher has dealt with this at various points in her career. Many authors actually purchase rights tracking software. It becomes unwieldy to remember what you wrote for whom and what you're allowed to re-use or not across many years.