There's an intriguing article in today's Guardian Technology about the impact and implications of the terms and conditions ("T's and C's") governing websites like YouTube, MySpace and MTV Flux, all of which rely on users submitting content to them. The big question is: Who owns the content?
According to Kate Bulkley, the writer of the piece:
For the average user, such sites make uploading content a breeze. They're less good at making terms and conditions (Ts & Cs), governing what you upload, transparent. Written by lawyers, they seem principally to protect big media's options.
The problem with Ts and Cs is that very few people read them, and it's only when there's a problem that they become an issue. Writing them in plain English helps and I think it would be worth looking at the way in which the terms for UGC (user generated content) sites are put together and looking at the "do's and don'ts" of website terms.
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