Be Careful using AIM

[Kinger]

I would be careful using AIM, I just read an article which basically states any files transfered through this or hosted on any other AOL service can be used maunipulared or even published without further permission and compensation to the original owner.

This can be a big deal if youhave copyrighted material, like photographs, and you send someone the file using AIM. Cause according to AOL, they can print it or even manipulate it for advertising without asking you or even compensating you.

Well here is the article: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1775649,00.asp

[timmyquest]

This is rather disturbing...thanks for the heads up

[timmyquest]

...however


An AOL representive responded today to a Steve Rubel post criticizing new TOS terms via a comment in his Micro Persuasion blog.

You can read their full response in the Micro Persuasion blog.

Here is an excerpt of their response ...

"The rumors flying around the blogosphere about the AIM Terms of Service are totally false.

First and foremost, AOL does not monitor, read or review any user-to-user communication through the AIM network, except in response to a valid legal process. The AIM privacy policy (which is part of the AIM TOS) should make that crystal clear.

... Finally, there seems to be a misimpression that the change was recently made. In fact, the current AIM Terms of Service was last updated in February 2004 and has been in place for more than a year. The prior terms of service had very similar language reserving the same rights.

In short, AIM user-to-user communication has been and will remain private, the AIM TOS was not changed, and the TOS includes a standard clause on publicly posted material.

Andrew Weinstein
Spokesman, America Online

I guess that clears it up ... If you would like to comment on this click here.

[whereismykit]

I think what people are seeing is this in the Terms Of Service for AOL

USER'S GRANT OF LIMITED LICENSE

By posting or submitting content to this site, you:

1. grant America Online and its affiliates and licensees the right to use, reproduce, display, perform, adapt, modify, distribute, have distributed, and promote the content in any form, anywhere and for any purpose; and
2. warrant and represent that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the content and that public posting and use of your content by America Online will not infringe or violate the rights of any third party.

[Kinger]

Ok, I guess I should do some more research before posting and getting everyone worried. But when I read it, the people here were the first I thought of. Thanks for the info Timmy

[Tom W]

I think what people are seeing is this in the Terms Of Service for AOL

USER'S GRANT OF LIMITED LICENSE

By posting or submitting content to this site, you:

1. grant America Online and its affiliates and licensees the right to use, reproduce, display, perform, adapt, modify, distribute, have distributed, and promote the content in any form, anywhere and for any purpose; and
2. warrant and represent that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the content and that public posting and use of your content by America Online will not infringe or violate the rights of any third party.

This is the fine print. All the press releases in the world can't undo this.

Let me see - AOL, owned by media giant Time-Warner, who doesn't want you to copy their copyrighted stuff, but have no problem making claims to your artistic property.

If Marie would let me use the word "sucks" right now, I'd use it in a sentence that also included the acronym "AOL".

[Pekka]

First and foremost, AOL does not monitor, read or review any user-to-user communication through the AIM network,
does not really comment on...

By posting or submitting content to this site, you:

1. grant America Online and its affiliates and licensees the right to use, reproduce, display, perform, adapt, modify, distribute, have distributed, and promote the content in any form, anywhere and for any purpose
...which says what is says: they or their affiliates can use, reproduce, display, perform, adapt, modify, distribute your material for any purpose.

[pugnugget]

aol sucks anyways..

[Citizensmith]

The exact same applies to Hotmail. The T and Cs for hotmail state that any materials transfered using it become the property of Microsoft. Hopefully nobody with anything worth money would ever resort to using hotmail. Makes you wonder how often similar TandCs show up though.

[kb244]

Course what if you use trillian?

[thomascanty]

Course what if you use trillian?

The software doesn't matter. The files and IM's still go through AOL's network.

[Citizensmith]

All your files are belong to us.

[timmyquest]

All your files are belong to us.

Muahaha...i wonder how many here will get that :confused:

[Citizensmith]

Muahaha...i wonder how many here will get that :confused:

Good question. :)

They set us up the bomb.

[Tom W]

Good question. :)

They set us up the bomb.

Make your time.

[Citizensmith]

OK, turns out this whole AIM owns everything is actually partialy untrue and partialy just heavily overblown. Here's a link for anyone interested.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050315-4705.html

[thomascanty]

partialy untrue and partialy just heavily overblown.

And that's what almost all online panics turn out to be.

[Ballen Photo]

I would be careful using AIM, I just read an article which basically states any files transfered through this or hosted on any other AOL service can be used maunipulared or even published without further permission and compensation to the original owner.

This can be a big deal if youhave copyrighted material, like photographs, and you send someone the file using AIM. Cause according to AOL, they can print it or even manipulate it for advertising without asking you or even compensating you.

Well here is the article: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1775649,00.asp

Thanks for the warning Stephen, I heard about this on the radio as well. Doesn't seem right though. :evil:
-Bruce