srt101fan

In a recent topic ("Great and EASY way to have your portfolio on UHH!!!"), user "Fayle" posted this:

If you are not concerned with keeping the rights to your photos then it doesn't matter but this paragraph is in the "Terms of Use" (https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/terms_of_use.jsp) :

" SUBMISSIONS

Visitor agrees as a condition of viewing, that any communication between Visitor and Website is deemed a submission. By making a submission, Visitor grants the administration and the owners of the Website a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, sub-licenseable and transferable license to use in any way, reproduce and distribute the submission and prepare derivative works of the submission without further permission. This includes commercial and non-commercial use of all submissions, including portions thereof, graphics contained thereon, or any of the content of the submission. Visitor agrees to only communicate that information to the Website, which it wishes to forever allow the Website to use in any manner as it sees fit. "Submissions" is also a provision of the Privacy Policy. "

My photos are generally not worth worrying about giving up rights to them. But the above UHH Terms of Use are troubling nonetheless. How do the rest of you feel about this? Please help me put this in proper perspective.

In particular, how do you professionals feel about posting your photos when in so doing you give UHH the right to do whatever they want to with them? Or am I not understanding this right?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

These are similar to the non-exclusive licensing terms as used by Facebook and other sites where they provide a service (a website and image display platform) at no fee to the user. You're not giving up your original ownership of the image. Your 'legal' rights to ownership and copywrite are not impacted either, although you're always encouraged to properly and formally register your US-based copyright with the US Copyright office at: https://www.copyright.gov/

If you consider these terms of use an issue, you have multiple options:

1) Never post any images to this photography-related site.

2) Never post your best images to this site.

3) Never post a original or large resolution file, even if you don't "store the original". Instead, resize the image for online posting as discussed at: Recommended resizing parameters for digital images

4) Use embedded links to share images here at UHH that reside on a "more" secure site such as your own website, Flickr or similar. Use the link "Show Tags" below the text box when editing and investigate the "url" and "img" options to embed an image link from UHH to your website / image source where the actual image file resides.

Finally, for those who attach and store fully-edited high-resolution image files, it's more likely that the wider nefarious internet will take your images rather than the UHH site owners will reuse these image files. Note that no one on the internet is required to provide credentials to access this site. You need a user and password to post to the site, but anyone anywhere can come and download your file attachments, with no tracking nor acknowledgement.

This same "open site" aspect of UHH should also prevent you from ever sharing personally identifiable information, like phone numbers, street addresses or email addresses. That information should always be shared only via credential-based Private Messages (PM) or your personal email, not posted publicly on UHH.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

You might use my approach: Chill.

Early on I recognized that anything I post can be taken off the web by anyone and used as they see fit. So since photography is a hobby for me, my photos have no value and if someone likes them and uses them it just goes to show that their taste is poor. No skin off my teeth, even the ones I have left.

Don't leave anything valuable just lying around.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Ditto.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

When I first joined this group near the inception of it all My Photos that I posted were high jack by who ever runs this site and were used in advertisements on the net. The advertisements were looking for people to join in on the fun. I notified the Admins at the time and they removed at least all of my images that were used.. Not sure of the rules now, but makes since not to use high MP photos on any and all web browsers. Heck, I've had members on here use my images as their own until I called them on it.. I'm sure a few have been printed over the years.....

srt101fan

Thanks, Paul; good info!

srt101fan

Sounds like you got it figured!

srt101fan

Interesting experience.....kinda depressing.

wide2tele Loc: Australia

I personally don't agree with it and have removed all my images from UHH.
The agreement is totally open, even allowing for commercial use of your images.
To use images for UHH self promotion, I would have no issue with this.
It's quite another to allow UHH use of images for unrestricted commercial purposes.
This aspect could then also potentially lead to massive legal issues for the image creator.

srt101fan

Yeah, this open-endedness of the agreement seems excessive....unfortunate.

wide2tele Loc: Australia

Yes, a real shame.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

You are not giving up anything - you are agreeing to licensing your images - you still retain ownership - you just can't get pissed at UHH or anyone who downloads your images to do with whatever they want. If you are sensitive about this, the solution is easy - don't post images.

srt101fan

Thanks for jumping in, Gene. When I read about this, I thought about pros like you and the shots you have posted. Good point about "ownership"....

couch coyote Loc: northern Illinois

I read this when I first joined, and thought about it for a while. As a result I don't post images that I would be upset if I saw them used/abused by others. (Although, as an amateur, my "best" are pretty much crap, so not much to worry about.)

wide2tele Loc: Australia

The issue is not just ownership or if you care if your pics are used or not.
The issue is many things and places require agreements or releases in order to be used commercially.
It is the photographer who needs to obtain this in many instances.

A simple local park in my area for example requires agreements signed for any commercial shooting.
If I was to post an innocent pic here of my local park without the required permissions and UHH used it commercially, it lands me in deep trouble.