Instapanic

[sgrizzle]

So popular photo sharing service Instagram, anecdotally known as the place to share bathroom self-portraits and pictures of lunch, updates their Terms of Service this week to say they had rights to use the photos you post without compensation.



While they are rewording those terms following complaints, it brings up a good issue. If you uploaded something to a website or mobile service, without specifically checking to see if you are maintaining rights to the images/words you post, what right do you have to complain if it turns out someone is going to use them?

[Ed W]

That's been my complaint with numerous photo contests. Simply by entering, you give the organizers full rights to reproduce and sell your photos for any use they like.  Oh, you still retain ownership, but that's of little consequence when you receive nothing for their use.  And this doesn't apply just to the 'winning' photos.  It applies to all of them.  So for the organizer, a photo contest is a means to harvest a huge number of photos for very little cost.

Then there are the writing sites that offer 'exposure' for any pieces you submit.  Yeah, I'm going to be so excited to see my name on a webpage that I'm willing to work for nothing.  I wonder if the air conditioning guy would be willing to work for 'exposure' since I'd write nice things about him.  Or maybe the car mechanic would do that.  Better still, I'd be perfectly willing to say nice things about the mortgage company if they'd give me a couple of months for free.

It's that old adage: the large print giveth and the small print taketh away.

[DolfanBob]

All contracts should come with 2X glasses.

[DolfanBob]

Well it looks like Instagram has backtracked on their new policy after a huge outcry from Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Seth Green who threatened to delete their accounts.

Co-Founder and CEO Kevin Systrom has apologised and stated that the policy has been returned to it's original state that it was before the announcement on Monday.

Phew! I can now have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. You know some people have to have priorities.

[patric]

It's all so 2009....

Facebook have made alterations to their Terms of Use which now states that anything you put onto the site at any point in time – they can do with as they please.  Previously, when you closed your account, any rights to your own content would expire  - now it still all belongs to them. It means the site can legally sell your content or use them in advertising with no compense to you.

[sauerkraut]

Good points. Copyright infringement does not apply to that. But don't make a copy of a DVD overpriced movie you bought that's criminal. I just love those two way streets.