Who owns your Twitter followers?

Here's an interesting legal case. Who owns the followers you attract to your Twitter feeds? In this instance an employee built a Twitter account on behalf of his employer. After leaving the company, he changed his username on the Twitter account but retained the followers. Now, the company is suing him. According to the company, Phonedog Media, "We intend to aggressively protect our customer lists and confidential information, intellectual property, trademark and brands."

This points out the need to have a clear policy within organizations on the use of social media. I know that any and all intellectual content, products, or creative ideas that you generate for your employer become their property unless you have an employment agreement that stipulates other. A Twitter following isn't the same as a customer list but it can be interpreted as a list of brand followers or prospective customers.

Lawsuit Claims Twitter Followers Belong To Company, Not Employee | LinkedIn.