Blue Planet Blog is moving - Blogger/Google TOS not suitable
I was going to post an update to my Baggley Park project, but now Blogger has a Terms of Service Agreement that you must check before posting content. See below.
All the more reason to run your own blog - it's easy now with many hosting services offering that option. I've had a blog on Blogger for a few months now. Blogger was taken over by Google and now you have to agree to the TOS when uploading new content, part of which says:
"Google claims no ownership or control over any Content submitted, posted or displayed by you on or through Picasa Web Albums. You or a third party licensor, as appropriate, retain all patent, trademark and copyright to any Content you submit, post or display on or through Picasa Web Albums and you are responsible for protecting those rights, as appropriate. By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through Picasa Web Albums, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content through Picasa Web Albums, including RSS or other content feeds offered through Picasa Web Albums, and other Google services. In addition, by submitting, posting or displaying Content which is intended to be available to the general public, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting Google services. Google will discontinue this licensed use within a commercially reasonable period after such Content is removed from Picasa Web Albums. Google reserves the right to refuse to accept, post, display or transmit any Content in its sole discretion."
Standard fair anymore. Looks like Google has taken up the idea that if you post it on the web it's "intended to be available to the general public" and that while Google doesn't claim ownership or control over content you submit, they are free to use it any way they see fit.
It's very prudent anymore to look at the Terms of Service agreements of any online service you subscribe to, free or not, to look for statements such as the following:
"By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through Picasa Web Albums, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content through Picasa Web Albums, including RSS or other content feeds offered through Picasa Web Albums, and other Google services. In addition, by submitting, posting or displaying Content which is intended to be available to the general public, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting Google services."
This means that when you post any content, photos, videos, text, and you agree to the TOS, you are giving Google the rights to use that content in anything Google owns. That means advertising (you could see your photo in a Google ad on TV or in a magazine, or see your text in the same ad or promotion) WITHOUT any compensation to you (that's what Royalty-Free means in this context).
You have control over your content, even if it is presented in a public forum, such as a blog. Google and other providers are only taking advantage of this content to provide free sources for their own promotion, at your expense.
If you are a professional posting rights managed content on a Google-owned blog such as Blogger, you may need to remove it to avoid any potential conflicts.
Needless to say I'll be stopping my Blogger account, removing my posted images, and setting up on my own.
I'll post my new blog location here when it's up and running. Or you can check my website if this blog is no longer available.
Mike Shipman
All the more reason to run your own blog - it's easy now with many hosting services offering that option. I've had a blog on Blogger for a few months now. Blogger was taken over by Google and now you have to agree to the TOS when uploading new content, part of which says:
"Google claims no ownership or control over any Content submitted, posted or displayed by you on or through Picasa Web Albums. You or a third party licensor, as appropriate, retain all patent, trademark and copyright to any Content you submit, post or display on or through Picasa Web Albums and you are responsible for protecting those rights, as appropriate. By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through Picasa Web Albums, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content through Picasa Web Albums, including RSS or other content feeds offered through Picasa Web Albums, and other Google services. In addition, by submitting, posting or displaying Content which is intended to be available to the general public, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting Google services. Google will discontinue this licensed use within a commercially reasonable period after such Content is removed from Picasa Web Albums. Google reserves the right to refuse to accept, post, display or transmit any Content in its sole discretion."
Standard fair anymore. Looks like Google has taken up the idea that if you post it on the web it's "intended to be available to the general public" and that while Google doesn't claim ownership or control over content you submit, they are free to use it any way they see fit.
It's very prudent anymore to look at the Terms of Service agreements of any online service you subscribe to, free or not, to look for statements such as the following:
"By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through Picasa Web Albums, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content through Picasa Web Albums, including RSS or other content feeds offered through Picasa Web Albums, and other Google services. In addition, by submitting, posting or displaying Content which is intended to be available to the general public, you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, distribute and publish such Content for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting Google services."
This means that when you post any content, photos, videos, text, and you agree to the TOS, you are giving Google the rights to use that content in anything Google owns. That means advertising (you could see your photo in a Google ad on TV or in a magazine, or see your text in the same ad or promotion) WITHOUT any compensation to you (that's what Royalty-Free means in this context).
You have control over your content, even if it is presented in a public forum, such as a blog. Google and other providers are only taking advantage of this content to provide free sources for their own promotion, at your expense.
If you are a professional posting rights managed content on a Google-owned blog such as Blogger, you may need to remove it to avoid any potential conflicts.
Needless to say I'll be stopping my Blogger account, removing my posted images, and setting up on my own.
I'll post my new blog location here when it's up and running. Or you can check my website if this blog is no longer available.
Mike Shipman
posted by Mike Shipman | 5:29:00 PM
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