Chatter around the web -- see this post at The Register, for example -- is buzzing about the realization that MySpace users give up rights to any material that they post to their profiles on the site. Someone actually sat down and read the terms of service, which include gems like this:
By displaying or publishing ("posting") any Content, messages, text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, profiles, works of authorship, or any other materials (collectively, "Content") on or through the Services, you hereby grant to MySpace.com, a non-exclusive, fully-paid and royalty-free, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense through unlimited levels of sublicensees) to use, copy, modify, adapt, translate, publicly perform, publicly display, store, reproduce, transmit, and distribute such Content on and through the Services.
The terms were changed on May 1st to say that once you remove your profile and/or the content, that News Corp. will remove your information from their servers and won't distribute it later. Awfully nice of Mr. Murdoch, isn't it?
Hm, awfully nice of Murdoch to own our content despite the fact that the only "payment" is the use of his site. Of course, our content competes with all of those damn-ugly ads on there. I think I need to delete some of my own videos from that site...
The thing is, I believe Google/YouTube's terms of service make similar if not identical ownership claims on the content you upload. Well, until there's a courtcase where some hosting service does something with a video/audio clip that it's rightful owner doesn't want done, I suppose we've no choice but to trust them.
I know, trust big business? That's a terrible idea...
I think it also says that MySpace loses the right to your material if you take it down, so remove things you don't want them to use and you're OK...I think...?
ReplyDeleteBut large bands with millions of dollars in stake use MySpace...not saying you should just because they do, but there must be some things they feel comfortable with.
Just my 2c's
Yeah, Yahoo has the same kind of agreement with their videos. Once you take your content down, they don't have any right to it.
ReplyDeleteWhat if you've got some video of you doing something you're not proud of and it ends up on a TV commercial for MySpace? You could take it down and it's still in that commercial. Whoops! Now you have to sue, which costs money and takes effort.
ReplyDeleteOR Rupert could be reasonable and ask permission.