LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook Accounts Redux

There appears to be an increasing amount of litigation over an employee's social media account for the company.  In an earlier blog post, I discussed the case of PhoneDog v. Noah Kravitz.  Another case involves custody over a LinkedIn account.  Edcomm (employer) and Linda Eagle (former employee) are suing over who owns the Ms. Eagle's LinkedIn account.  As with the Kravitz case, the employer is arguing that the "connections" are trade secrets.  The court was not persuaded by this argument, but the lawsuit is ongoing.

Again, it behooves a company to put in place policies regarding an employee's use of and creation of these social media accounts on behalf of the company.  The clearer the policy the more likely that the matter can resolve without resort to litigation.