Who Owns Your Online Networking Contacts? 130
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."
Re:what email address did he register? (Score:3, Funny)
I think this is relevant. However, I would think the contacts thing would be in his contract or employee rules. However, his old company shouldn't be able to bar him from contacting these people from his new company, even if he was keeping his list of contacts on a slip of paper in his office.
However, this news is coming out of the UK, so things are probably different over there.
In Europe... (Score:5, Funny)
...where they have decent employment and privacy laws this would never be allowed.
Oh. Wait...
Re:Devil is in the details (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Devil is in the details (Score:5, Funny)
Depending on your jurisdiction databases (lists) may be covered by copyright or database rights[1].
Databases want to be free!
Re:Devil is in the details (Score:5, Funny)
Huh?
So, here's my list:
1. Everything of yours.
2. The lint in my pocket.
3. All your base.
4. Profit!
Re:Devil is in the details (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Devil is in the details (Score:1, Funny)
All your databases are belong to us!
Re:Devil is in the details (Score:3, Funny)
Just wait for the conversion...
Re:Devil is in the details (Score:5, Funny)
Re:what email address did he register? (Score:3, Funny)
Whereas in other industries, such as the beauty business, it is normal for clients to follow you when you change jobs.
Oh I have a great story about this.
I used to do business with a company that sold computer equipment.
They had a old-ish sales guy, totally non-technical but a real people-person. He was great to deal with and went out of his way for me.
He was also a part-owner of the business.
Well, a few of the other business owners got together late one night and wrote him out of the company.
This sales guy soon found work elsewhere. And guess what? ALL of his customers started dealing with his new place of work. And that turned out to be MOST of the customers of the previous place. They didn't last long after that.
Re:Devil is in the details (Score:4, Funny)
Databases want to be free!
Oracle price list (per processor)
Standard Edition One: $5800
Standard Edition: $17500
Enterprise Edition: $47500