For the last couple of days, my Facebook timeline, and probably yours, has been filled with repetitions of a peculiar piece of boilerplate text, from all kinds of friends. It goes something like this:
In response to the new Facebook guidelines, I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, crafts, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention).
For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!
Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, you may copy and paste this version.
Guess what? You’ve been hoaxed.
First, no declaration by you, in a Facebook posting, would make any difference to the legal status of your posts. You’re already protected by copyright law.
Second, there are no “new Facebook guidelines.” Facebook’s policy is this: “You retain the copyright to your content. When you upload your content, you grant us a license to use and display that content.”
Third, there’s no such thing as the Berner Convention. There’s a Berne Convention, which covers literary works.
Fourth, the fact that Facebook is now a publicly traded company has absolutely nothing to do with its copyright or privacy policies. They’re entirely unrelated.
Finally, Facebook itself has issued the following statement: “There is a rumor circulating that Facebook is making a change related to ownership of users’ information or the content they post to the site. This is false. Anyone who uses Facebook owns and controls the content and information they post, as stated in our terms. They control how that content and information is shared. That is our policy, and it always has been.”
Snopes, the anti-misinformation site, has already debunked this hoax. So you can stop pasting that meaningless “I hereby declare” status update. Let’s get back to hearing what you had for lunch.
Pogue’s Posts Blog: You Can Stop Spreading That Facebook Notice Now
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Pogue’s Posts Blog: You Can Stop Spreading That Facebook Notice Now
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Pogue’s Posts Blog: You Can Stop Spreading That Facebook Notice Now
