Have you ever wondered who would be the rightful owner of a Twitter account if the creator is no longer employed at the company where it originated? According to a recent article published by the National Law Journal, this question remains unanswered. Truth be told, I was quite surprised that this is something which remains unresolved since social policies are created within companies to avoid this sort of thing from happening.
What are the legal repercussions if the person continues to use the account long after they are gone? Should companies create social policies to enforce ownership? These are the questions that should be addressed before deciding to claim ownership of an account that is not really yours for the taking or, before entering into an extensive legal battle.
Here is a scenario for you: What if a previous employee maintained a Twitter account for the company XYZ, which grew to an overwhelming 20,000 Twitter followers. Months later the employee resigns, and the company respectfully asked him to cease using the account. Instead the employee changes his handle to read his personal name.
In this particular posting, I leave this topic as an open forum for you to reflect on “What would you do if this happened to you?” Is it legal? Is the employee’s twettiquette acceptable behavior? I’ll leave you with this thought; in this world of social media everyone must abide by some guidelines, I know I would.
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