Reading the Fine Print

So I thought that I would get an account with Associated Content – a website that claims to be “The People’s Media Company.” I figured I could sell some of my articles, try to get some wider exposure. So I signed up and then read the “INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR/LICENSE AGREEMENT.”

I don’t think I will be submitting anything to this so-called “people’s media company,” because for a couple of bucks, you get to sign away pretty much any rights to your work. To whit:

(d) License Grant. Upon any Rights Grant, Content Producer hereby irrevocably (i) grants to Company a worldwide, perpetual, fully-paid up, royalty-free, transferable right and license, with right to sublicense, to reproduce, publicly display, distribute, and perform, transmit, edit, modify, create derivatives works of, publish, sell, exploit, use, and dispose of such Work for any purpose and in all forms and all media whether now known or to become known in the future, the right to retain all revenue and income derived therefrom, and any and all other related rights of whatever kind or nature; and (ii) waives and agrees never to assert any and all Moral Rights Content Producer may have in or with respect to any such Work in connection with Company’s use thereof, even after termination of this Agreement (hereinafter, the grants described in subsections (i) and (ii) above are referred to as the “License”). The License shall be either (A) exclusive, or (B) non-exclusive, as designated and identified in the Application submitted by Content Producer in connection with such Work. (https://adm.associatedcontent.com/cms_step2.cfm)

Umm . . . I don’t think so.

Tags: associated content, BlogDesk, intellectual property, licensing, polls, publishing, user rights

On this day..

• - 2009
• Fighting the RIAA - 2005