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You retain all copyright to all original User Content you submit to the Site. By transmitting or submitting User Content to the Site, you hereby (a) grant Newsvine a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, perpetual and fully sublicensable and transferable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, distribute, publish, create derivative works from and publicly display and perform such User Content in any media, now known or hereafter devised; and (b) grant Newsvine, its affiliates and sublicensees the right to use the name, identifier, or any portion thereof, submitted in connection with such User Content, if they so choose.
- Newsvine User Agreement
Now don't skim over that quote. Read all of it. Now really, look back up there and read it. I'm stopping the paragraph now.
Smart-ass
OK, now you either read it or are a smart-ass and jumped ahead. Probably the latter.
What this clause means
You retain the copyright to your words on this site, but it doesn't mean bollocks. You retain the copyright in the same way that a photographer retains copyrights when a newspaper buys his photo. That is to say, it's meaningless. It's not a joint copyright (and thank goodness, because those are hairy). Nope. You're giving Newsvine your words' soul (or souls, depending on the spirituality of them). Words include comments, articles, user pictures, pictures in articles, and even votes. That is to say, everything.
All of my words in this article could be used to be printed in a newspaper, magazine, affiliate site, TV, or wherever Newsvine wants. Next thing I know, I'll be buying toilet paper rolls and find quotes from Edward Sebastian throughout in nice, green serif type. Or maybe I'll see my witty words pasted on the side of cereal boxes, next to an Olympic athlete who nobody knows or a sweaty, stringy-haired Nascar driver. Could be I'll find my currently-rainbow-outlined mug on the side of a mug. Earlier today, I could have sworn I saw somebody flying a flag out their window with "Long live Sebastian" on the side, next to a handy but sadly unclickable URL to my column.
Newsvine does not specifically own the copyright to your words. What they do own, however, is everything that matters about a copyright, all actions and legal clauses associated with a copyright; this is also known as a Full License. It's everything a copyright is except in name. You can re-publish wherever you wish and license it to people and maybe get paid for submitting to a magazine or newspaper and earn recognition. So can Newsvine.
Don't waste your pixels
I've seen a lot of authors around here putting little copyright notices in their bios and in footers of their articles. As the clever title so aptly states, don't waste your pixels.
Firstly, you don't need a copyright statement to legally claim a work as yours. It can be helpful in small claims, but is not necessary.
Secondly, your copyright doesn't mean much if Newsvine can do whatever it wants with it. By posting articles here, you are also giving them the right to sublicense. The right to sublicense means that really, your copyright means what the ancient Mayans of Central Latin America of prehistoric times labeled importantly as: zilch. Your article could appear next to a photo of Pope Benedict XVI in the next Catholic Standard magazine. Or maybe you'll see it in the tabolids next to Britney Spears and K-Fed after their eleventh baby. Life magazine isn't going to contact you to pay you $1 million for your scoop photos of Angelina Jolie's helium-inflated lips. No, they go to Newsvine.
What I do about it
I don't publish anything on Newsvine except quick commentary and articles that I wouldn't mind being sublicensed. Mainly editorial-type articles. All serious content and writing that I spend a considerable amount of time on I will send to magazines or newspapers that give a little more room copyright-wise.
This has prevented me in the past from publishing what I really think are some darn good articles. Is that bad? Well, yes. I love Newsvine a heckuva lot. I'd love to grow Newsvine, contribute excellent content, give them publicity, etc. I'm sure if the Newsvine staff tracks my perusement of this website, they'd all be quite happy with what a passionate user they've got. I'm sure my big brother Calvin knows (kidding, kidding...).
I've tried to get all my friends to sign up, even the less tech-savvy ones. I come here regularly for the wonderful content which can be found throughout the vine. I have come across some eloquent, well-spoken, and well-educated writers here that I would never have found otherwise. But the fact remains that I pretty much have no control over my words once they're published here. And frankly, as much as I've wanted to publish certain articles on here, that has prevented me from doing so.
Am I asking Newsvine to change? Am I being a whiner-baby? No. I think this is a very important matter and one which should be highlighted for all authors on the Vine. If you become aware of it and are still OK with it, cool! But I think it's much better to be aware of this sort of thing and make a conscious decision before you see your face next to Jennifer Aniston on People giving the dirt on your latest celebrity break-up.
