High Sierra Topix

Hi:

I was just reading the admin post about posting here in one of the threads, and I noticed some language that suggests something that I don't think you intended. (At least I hope you didn't! :-)

"As a user you agree to any information you submit to this website being stored in a database and publicly displayed. Any content you submit will be considered public domain."

The first sentence is fine. The second sentence, legally speaking, suggests that once materials are posted here they become "public domain." I think what you mean is more like the following:

"By posting [materials] at this site you grant the operators of High Sierra Topix a non-commercial license to post them in this forum."

It may seem like a small thing, but it actually isn't. The legal implication of the original wording suggest that by posting anything at High Sierra Topix the posted has declared that work to be in the public domain. The potential problem would work like this: Poster places a photo that he/she created in this forum. Someone else not associated with the forum sees the image and, seeing that the poster has conferred "public domain" status on the image copies it and uses it as, oh, let's say the cover of their new book. Photographs says, "Hey, wait a minute, that's my photo!" Book publisher replies, "Yes, but you placed it in the public domain when you posted at HST."

Photographers are sensitive to this sort of thing. :-)

Take care, and thanks for this wonderful site.

Dan

I've seen many photographs with the name of the photographer embedded in the image. If you are concerned about copying, maybe you can do that.

Dan, I totally understand your concerns. I'll let Eric chime in when he gets a chance, but agree that the wording could be clarified. Perhaps there could be a specific clause for images.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll make the change.

After all that, I guess Dan decided not to stick around.