Twitter suit will proceed

A Mount Pleasant website's Twitter account lawsuit against a former employee can proceed in its entirety, a California judge has ruled.

Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James of San Francisco had dismissed two of the four counts alleged in PhoneDog's lawsuit in November but allowed the company to amend its claims.

PhoneDog beefed up its allegations against Noah Kravitz, who left the company in October 2010 and now works for a website in California. James on Monday waved the complaint through to the next stage.

Kravitz deferred questions to his attorney, Cary Kletter, who, in an email, emphasized the preliminary nature of the ruling.

"Ultimately PhoneDog will be unable to prove its allegations against Mr. Kravitz, and Mr. Kravitz will prevail," Kletter wrote.

The novel lawsuit set the Internet abuzz over who owns work-related Twitter accounts and how much they're worth. Its resolution could have far-reaching implications for many businesses.

PhoneDog, which reviews mobile devices and services, believes the account belongs to the company. The company wants Kravitz to hand over control of the account and pay damages of $340,000.

Kravitz has claimed the account is his to use and that PhoneDog filed its complaint because he sued first, over money the company allegedly owes him.

Reach Brendan Kearney at 937-5906 and follow him on Twitter at @kearney_brendan.