Core Viewpoint - The increasing value of online accounts in the context of live streaming and short video industries has led to disputes regarding ownership and rights, particularly when employees leave companies and delete content from accounts registered under their names [1][7]. Case Background - An employee, Xiao Huang, registered a short video account under his real name as required by the company, which invested significant funds for promotion [1][2]. - Upon termination of employment, the account had over 1 million followers and unspent virtual currency valued at over 10,000 yuan [2]. - Xiao Huang deleted over 800 videos from the account and changed the account's phone number without the company's consent, leading to a drop in followers from 1.26 million to under 1 million [2][3]. Court Proceedings - The Beijing Fourth Intermediate Court ruled that the account's ownership should be determined based on actual usage, management, and contributions, concluding that the account's rights belonged to the software company due to its material investments [3][4]. - Xiao Huang's actions were deemed to have caused economic harm to the company, including a significant drop in follower count and the inability to conduct business through the account [4][5]. Legal Principles - The court emphasized that the ownership of online accounts should consider both personal and property attributes, and in the absence of clear agreements, actual usage and contributions should guide ownership determinations [8]. - The ruling clarified that damages for infringement of virtual property should include both direct losses (like the use of virtual currency) and indirect losses (like the decrease in account value due to follower loss) [9][10]. Judgment Outcome - The court ordered that the account belongs to the software company and that Xiao Huang must compensate for the economic losses incurred [5].