Who has rights to your LinkedIn profile?

[thepawbroon]

Hi,

A quick question to you employment and social media experts - what do you think of this situation?

My employer is putting together a new online interactive brochure, to advertise its services to potential customers. The company is a B2B consultancy, so the professional networks of the personnel is important. In this (currently draft) brochure, there is a somewhat gruesome photo of me, my phone number, a hyperlink to my email address and one to my LinkedIn profile.

I first started the LinkedIn profile while in this company's employment, but it includes details of my previous jobs and education. And many of my connections were made during my previous jobs. So in some ways the LinkedIn is "mine" but perhaps the Copyright is my employers - considering my contract states (I paraphrase) "everything I do at work is theirs". I would have thought, as a very minimum, they would ask for my permission.

This is probably a grey area, I use LinkedIn to reach out to potential customers as well as check out potential employees. Both use it to reach out to me. Also, potential alternative employers contact me via LinkedIn.

So, over to the PH masses to offer opinion on the moral, ethical and perhaps even legal viewpoints?

I can't say I'm overly bothered, it just raised some questions in my mind.

cheers!