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Who Owns Your Online Networking Contacts?

Posted by kdawson on from the nothing-personal dept.

Ben Morris writes "A recent judgement in the UK courts has forced a former employee to hand over details of his business contacts built up through LinkedIn.com while he was employed by his former company. The decision is one of the first in the UK to show the tension between businesses encouraging their employees to use social networking websites, and trying to claim that the contacts should remain confidential when they leave."

5 of 130 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Devil is in the details by MacJedi · · Score: 5, Informative

    some people might say that a "list" is not the "property" of anyone.

    Those people would be wrong. Depending on your jurisdiction databases (lists) may be covered by copyright or database rights[1].

    1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database_right

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    2^5
  2. Re:Devil is in the details by Intron · · Score: 5, Funny

    The curvature is about 0 deg, 0 min, 1 sec per 100 feet, which is flat enough for engineering purposes.

    --
    Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
  3. Re:Devil is in the details by ArhcAngel · · Score: 5, Funny

    Depending on your jurisdiction databases (lists) may be covered by copyright or database rights[1].

    Databases want to be free!

    --
    "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
  4. Good luck with that by BlueZombie · · Score: 5, Interesting

    To all you worker drones out there:

    • Always read what you sign.
    • Respect it to the letter
    • Whether you respect it beyond the letter, is up to you

    To all you bosses out there:

    • You can maybe force me to turn over an address book
    • But you cannot force me to turn over years of personal relationships I've carefully built
    • So treat me good while you have me
    • Or you'll miss me when I'm gone
  5. Re:Devil is in the details by TornCityVenz · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh great...NASA just chimed in.

    --
    I Need someone to rebuild a Digitech Digital Delay pedal for me....for me...for me...for me.