[vsnet-chat 2062] Fw: If you have a website on Geocities...

["Fraser Farrell" <fraserf@dove.net.au>]

G'day all,

The attached message was posted to one of my other mail-lists recently, 
and has been forwarded to warn you of a potential loss of ownership of 
your "property". I know that quite a few of you - as astronomy groups 
and individuals - have sites on Geocities.  

I also know that some of you live in jurisdictions where Geocities' new 
terms of service would be illegal.  But bear in mind that Geocities is 
backed by a huge US corporation with plenty of high-powered laywers. 

I guess most of us would be devastated, if such a lawyer "proved" that 
your unique image (of a remarkable astronomical phenomenon), obtained 
with your equipment, didn't really belong to you - and could be 
reproduced without your permission, without compensation, and without 
due acknowledgement.  

And even if you _won_ the case, the legal fees would probably make it a 
Pyrrhic victory...


----- Forwarded message begin -----
[from SURVPC]

It's time to take action, if you have a website on geocities.

Since purchase by Yahoo, they will no longer support SMTP mail, and
the big problem is: their new "Terms of Service" aggreement states
that Yahoo will own the copyright on everything you place on the website.

I deleted over 200 personal aircraft photos from mine, today...and to
make sure they weren't residing on a server somewhere in the bowels of
geocities, I replaced every .jpg and .gif with a small file ( one .jpg
and one .gif ) that contained nothing more than the text:
 "Photo removed from this website to prevent theft.  I'll gladly
 provide by email, however."

( Geocities has quietly been moving all photos onto their pic.geocities
server for months - and redirecting image requests from your website
to the pic.geocities server.  I presume, so that they can have a
copyrighted picture archive compliments of their users - who are forced
to surrender their rights.)

- John T.

------ Forwarded message end ------


cheers,
Fraser Farrell

http://vsnet.dove.net.au/~fraserf/

VSNET Home Page

Return to Daisaku Nogami

---

vsnet-adm@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp