HAVE YOU READ THE TS AND CS OF FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM OR TWITTER?
Let's be honest, we all skip the terms and conditions when we upload games, or new software or even before we join social media networks. What this means is that you grant platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter licence to use your content in some way.
The warning comes from the intellectual property law experts Spoor & Fisher, who turned the spotlight on social media copyright infringement after US photographer David Slater - whose camera was famously hijacked by a monkey and used for a series of selfies that went viral - recently declared he was broke from fighting a protracted legal battle over who actually owned the pictures.
Hugh Melamdowitz‚ a partner at Spoor & Fisher‚ warned that during sign up “there is the probability that as a member of Facebook‚ Twitter or Instagram‚ you would have glided over the page and clicked 'I Agree'‚ that innocuous looking prompt at the bottom of the screen‚ without reading the licence agreements‚ terms of service or privacy policies".
“You may be shocked to know that by clicking on 'I Agree'‚ you have granted the site a licence to use your creative work‚ photographs‚ written material‚ videos and also grant them the right to sub licence the use to other members‚,” said Melamdowitz. Facebook is not the only culprit. From October 2‚ Twitter's updated user agreement will come into effect.
Twitter has specified when it comes to its users, in terms of content‚ "by submitting‚ posting or displaying content on or through the services‚ you grant us a worldwide‚ non-exclusive‚ royalty-free license (with right to sublicense) to use‚ copy‚ reproduce‚ process‚ adapt‚ modify‚ publish‚ transmit‚ display‚ distribute such content in any and all media or distribution methods".
Twitter said that by users agreeing to the new agreement "this licence authorises us to make your content available to the rest of the world and to let others do the same."
According to Twitter‚ users will not be compensated for use of their content. Be careful of what you post online, and rather create a website and post to social media platforms. Be safe and clever!!