There can be no argument that the rise of social media has been a key driver for user engagement with web 2.0. The increased interactivity online engagement offers has seen a spike in user generated content. The internet is now an immersive experience. See a page you’re interested in online? Tweet it to your followers; embed it on your Facebook page; blog about it; Digg it – the choice is yours. But what happens to these pieces of content created by user engagement? Who owns the rights to that YouTube video of your ironic acoustic rendition of Hey Ya!? What if it becomes a viral hit? Who can exploit it? Even more pertinently, what if you post a comment or a blog you later want to retract? How easy is it to take it down?
YouTube actually takes a pretty reasonable position in the circumstances. Users retain ownership to their uploaded content but grant YouTube a broad licence which allows the channel to exploit that content. If a video does become a viral hit, and YouTube and its advertisers start monetising around it in a way a user doesn’t like, the only recourse a user has is to take the content down altogether. Read More
The perils of digital content – things to watch out for when creating your own content.
One of the biggest challenges facing anyone wishing to create, distribute, sell, or even just use and enjoy digital content, is how to navigate the confusing jungle of associated digital rights and permissions. So how can ordinary users, without a degree in computing technology and IP law, hope to create and reuse digital content without fear of copyright infringement or worse?
The existing …