Boneheaded Move: Mixi Claiming Rights to Users’ Works
Just caught this interesting news item thanks to the always useful Global Voices:
The Japanese equivalent to Myspace, Mixi, is adding lines to their terms of service that let them retroactively utilize users’ content for their own ends. In the words of AltJapan:
By posting information, including diaries and the like, on this service, users grant the service the unrestricted right to use said information (whether in the form of reproduction, publication, distribution, translation, modification or the like) without compensation.” In other words, all your content are belong to us.
More can also be found at Fukumimi, who lays it out in simple terms. These changes take effect on April 1st, but they’re no joke.
Many non-native Japanese speakers have joined Mixi (an invite-only service) in order to learn Japanese. If that is why you use it, may I suggest Lang-8 as a non-invasive and more useful alternative? It is community minded, but specifically set up so people can correct your foreign language entries line by line. Very recommended! And all the Engrish in the site design is rather endearing.
I’ve been planning on doing a video about Lang-8, so that may be coming to Japan Probe soon.
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This is pretty standard really. I’ve seen this on a lot of sites that allow comments, generally those owned by large corporations.
Incidentally, who owns the copyright to this comment?
Standard? This is about far more than comments. Mixi is a social site where people write blog entries and communicate with friends in a presumably private setting. Please read the links.
Chill out, It’s totally standard! It’s like the big hubub over stipulations on sites like DeviantArt for owning the rights to the art one posts there. They’re not stripping you of rights to your own content… it’s just… while you’re posting material on their server, they have you grant them rights to use the work you post there on your site. They have to have that right, otherwise having your content on their site could be construed as some form of copyright violation.
I’d be curious to see a translation of the legal text in more detail… but if it’s like the way it’s structured on most sites. Those exclusive rights for content are only granted as long as your content remains on their server space. And don’t worry… It’s not like they have some conspiracy to get rich off publishing a book of your diaries and correspondence, sheesh!
I can’t possibly see how this is possible, but for a more detailed debate you should check out the Japanese slashdot link that was found on one of the above posted sites:
Slashdot Mixi Debate
Thanks for the link to lang-8! Although I’ll be using it to improve my weakening spanish skills.
an excellent use of that site as well!
the way this is worded they also have the right to sell any and all information posted, including pictures. Which means your face may end up in a ad for porn or maybe something worse.