Twitter Changes its Twune, but Object to the Lawsuit

I've got a new byline in Ad Age on the latest Twitter controversy, as a startup doesn&39;t like how Twitter is changing course. The column begins: 

Twitter has made plenty of enemies this year, but one just took Twitter to court and won an opening battle. As tempting as it is to root for the underdog in PeopleBrowsr vs. Twitter, the only crime Twitter may be guilty of is false advertising.

PeopleBrowsr, a social media analytics company, has paid for full access to Twitter&39;s "fire hose" – its entire database of tweets – since 2008. Twitter cut off access,&0160;claiming it did so with the 30 days&39; notice required&0160;by its contract. PeopleBrowsr was not amused, so it took Twitter to court and won a restraining order that temporarily requires Twitter to keep the fire hose flowing to its longtime customer.

Read the rest of the post in Ad Age to see what this means for all those who depend on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Tonia Ries has an even more detailed writeup on the story in the Realtime Report. Go there for some great color to further get a sense of what this all means.