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What TOS Wouldn't You Agree to on an Online Writing Platform?

JoHarrington
Posts: 1816
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on 10/04/2012

This is largely hypothetical, though it may have consequences on another writing platform (NB I'm not talking Wizzley here).

I'm fairly sure that if Chef Keem announced tomorrow that, from now on, Wizzley will retain the copyright on, and every penny of revenue made from, our articles, we'd all flash the birdie and leave.

Such things are obvious.  But what else should we look out for in TOS on writing platforms?

I'm no lawyer.  I tend to look at what can and can't be written about and trust that the legal stuff holds nothing scary. I'm sure that I'm not the only person living that dangerously.

I also know that there are those of you who go over every clause with a fine tooth-comb and recourse to your lawyer.

What are the non obvious bad things which we should look out for?

 


katiem2
Posts: 979
Message
on 10/04/2012

Good question Jo, I get cup of tea and check back....


Katie McMurray
Jerrico_Usher
Posts: 1210
Message
on 10/04/2012

I read an article covering that topic once, it was mainly about how apple could screw you if they wanted to- and how most sites have clauses that protect them, but if they ever wanted to they could be devious. One example is facebook. Your images can be used (all of them,, posted, in your album anywhere) for advertizing and there isn't a dam thing you can do about it. Even if you remove it from their site they can use it legally- your essentially giving up PART of your copyright where they are concerned- post and it's theirs to use and they will use it- in advertizing for the site or anything else- the tos there is pretty scary.

Why are businesses posting there? it's beyond words.

I'll try to find the article, it was pretty scary but practical, not just boasting about how sites are evil  it's come to the point of lawsuits and bs that companies literally have to do it- it's just sane business practice, will they use it? Not likely, unless you become a problem.  Another example is the patents, Microsoft patented both the two button mouse (likely why apple never had one) and the double-click  on a mouse apparatus, they could screw a bunch of people if they wanted to (companies with two button mouses for one)... it's all come down to protection from frivolous lawsuits, think about it, if you have a law you don't use but can, there are situations that comes in handy like when someone is trying to screw your company over- but for normal people using their services, they need not fear anything... that's my take (after reading the article).

Jerrico

Jerrico_Usher
Posts: 1210
Message
on 10/05/2012

I think this is the article Jo-

6 Terrifying User Agreements You've Probably Accepted

Michelle found it while stumbleupon surfing one day

Jerrico_Usher
Posts: 1210
Message
on 10/05/2012

@Ryan, tha'ts probably there to assure they can use it in court if someone goes ape chit in there... they are far more likely to do so in the forum than in "hubs" although there are lots of hubs bashing the very site they write for- most of them are active writers lol. 

I just learned everything you say to Siri (the iPhone app) gets logged and recorded, stored on apple servers forever- think about that one being mentioned somewhere in the apple agreement haha whats the world coming to when product and service providers have to learn legal-foo but balance it so it's not going to cost them customers... oh yea, nobody reads those things, they tick the box to get on with their day *evil grin*

Kangaroo_Jase
Posts: 205
Message
on 10/05/2012

Problem one - people reading TOS for the services, sites, programs and devices they use.

Problem two - understanding WTF those TOS mean for those that do read them.

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