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About people saying "change the look": the look of the application does not matter for legal rights. What determines whether the program is the same is the source code. That means, if you change it from VB6 to .NET and have to change some commands it is not the same.
I don't mean a Vanilla Ice "not the same", but if you change portions of the actual coding and don't just add on to the end, it's not the same.
The program is definitely your employer’s property. They paid you regardless of whose idea it was.
Here is a completely different slant on this issue. It takes a tremendous amount of work, effort, capitol, marketing expertise, business acumen, wisdom, luck, accounting, savvy, etc. to bring a new concept to market. many good ideas die before success is reached with them.
Coming up with an idea and writing the code is only a part of a very arduous and long equation. If you look around inventors tend not to be at the helm of successful companies. Most work for somebody else. This is because it takes a lot more than a good idea and some well written code to make a successful product. If you feel that you have all the skills it takes to build a successful company then work with your employer to get the code released to your ownership.
Think hard. Many a life's savings has gone down the drain because the effort was based on dreams, not an honest assessment of the inventor’s skills. Don't fal into the trap of focusing on the successful ones. For every successful one there is 10 or 100 unsuccessful efforts.
My advice is to keep the dialogue open with your employer. Keep looking for a win/win. You are obviously an honest person. I commend you for that.
Hope it works out.
Eric
IF I was in your place I would take the software without even asking if its legal or not ... (you wasted your time writing the software man, how about alittle commession ?):ehh: