Shame on TwitPic, Kudos to Mobypicture
The British Journal of Photography today tells us that the image sharing service TwitPic has announced and agreement with the celebrity photo agency WENN. TwitPac will have the right to sell (and profit from, without you, BTW) any images you upload to its photo sharing website. Because TwitPic is one of the largest photo sharing sites used with Twitter, this has serious ramifications for photographers.
TwitPic brags that they’ve ammended their T&C to clearly state that you own the content. But what they soft peddle is that they can sell your images, in perpetuity:
The terms and conditions now read: “You retain all ownership rights to Content uploaded to TwitPic. However, by submitting Content to TwitPic, you hereby grant TwitPic a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the Content in connection with the Service and TwitPic’s (and its successors’ and affiliates’) business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Service (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels.”
Shame on TwitPic for this blatant disregard for photographer’s rights. I urge all creatives, professional and amateur alike, to halt using the TwitPic service until they amend their T&C to eliminate this corporate greed.
But where to go to upload images to Twitter and other Social Media sites? Easy: Mobypicture.
Taking their cue from the massive amounts of negative attention heaped on TwitPic today, MobyPicture very clearly ammended their T&C to be much more in line with what is fair for photographers:
“Content Ownership: All rights of uploaded content by our users remain the property of our users and can in no means be sold or used by Mobypicture or affiliated third party partners without consent from the user.”
Continuing on their website: “This means Mobypicture will NEVER sell the rights to your shared photos and videos. Your content is yours!”
Many, many kudos to Mobypicture for taking a very positive step that benefits creatives everywhere. Perhaps if enough photographers stop using TwitPic and move to Mobypicture, TwitPic will get the message loud and clear!
groozi.com is a blog about negotiating and web marketing. Weekly posts are written primarily by me, Blake J. Discher, a 
9 Comments
Blake J. Discher
about 13 years agoYes, please do reference it with a link. I appreciate it!
Jennyb
about 13 years agoGreat for me that I found your Blog... I just started with my own Blog, can I reference to this post? I want to write something on similiar topic!
Petra
about 13 years agoGood reading, gives even more for thinking about using MobyPicture... Thanks!
Jon
about 13 years agoI've just blogged on this and included the latest Twitter via Photobucket terms & conditions: http://www.jonboyes.com/blog/comment/twitpic-twitter-lockerz-yfrog-mobypic-good-or-bad/
Steve Dantzig
about 13 years agoThanks! i just "shared" this.
Blake J. Discher
about 13 years agoThanks on behalf of creatives everywhere. Hope your good policy catches on!
Berry
about 13 years agoMore on our Mobypicture blog! http://mathys.vanabbe.com/your-content-is-yours/
Will
about 13 years agoThanks Blake, just revoked access to Twitpic!
Cricket
about 13 years agoSo, although the photographer holds the copyright, that right is gutted and meaningless. YouTube has something similar.