Monday, March 14, 2005

Stop using AOL

Photographers should stop using all AOL services immediately. Time Warner Inc., formerly AOL Time Warner Inc., has changed its terms of service to automatically have free, unlimited perpetual use of any information posted to "public areas" of AOL Instant Messenger network.

Luckily they have a Procedure for Making Claims of Copyright Infringement, which places the onus on the PJ. Instead, just send them a certified mail invoice at punitive damages rate for one month's use. Make sure to compound it monthly until they get around to it.

If they balk, and your copyright is registered, you and a lawyer of your choosing can own a piece of this huge publishing company.

See some of the key terms on Break'n out the Big Glass.

Enough for now,
 

4 comments:

Mark M. Hancock said...

They could try to say the content was posted on their server if it was transmitted over AIM. Even one grab at anyone's copyright is unacceptable.
I'll be gone for a while (a few days), but I'll dive into it when I return.

Mark M. Hancock said...

I modified the entry to clarify this stipulation. However, a rights grab is a rights grab and should not be tolerated nor supported.

Mark M. Hancock said...

Thanks go to Adam above. No rights grab should be popular with anyone. It's a primary right guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. I don't know how they thought they could circumvent it.

David said...

Hi,

I found your blog while seeking some links for my girlfriends neice who has an interest in pj. This is a great thread, I'm going to email it to a buddy of mine that recent took a job as photo-editor at AOL.