Who owns posters content?

[andy614]

Hi

Once a poster posts on our forum, do we "own" that content? So for example if we wanted to quote what some of our posters said elsewhere or use it as part of advertising or promotion do we have a right to do that or would we need to ask their permission?

[Craig]

Hi

I would point you to section 15 of the ProBoards Terms Of Service[/i]. The user 'owns' the content, but grants a 'licence' for it to appear on the website.

[bigballofyarn]

Feb 9, 2019 0:42:27 GMT -8 andy614 said:

Hi

Once a poster posts on our forum, do we "own" that content? So for example if we wanted to quote what some of our posters said elsewhere or use it as part of advertising or promotion do we have a right to do that or would we need to ask their permission?

In the ToS, every user owns their own content, but they are giving consent for it to appear on YOUR FORUM every time they post.  Their posts alone are not written consent for you to post their personal thoughts somewhere else.

I would think of the privacy options you are given when you make a Facebook post. You can set it to friends only, friends and their friends, public, etc.  Up front, when you make the post, you are deciding whether or not the entire world gets to see your post, and whether or not it can be shared. Members do not have this option when they are making threads or replies.

In my opinion, unless you have written consent in the post, or in a private message, I would not repost any member's posts on any other site.

Definitely wait for a more official answer from one of the awesome Proboards admins though.

[Michael]

Hi,

I'm pretty much just going to echo the thoughts above. I'll preface this with the caveat that I am not a lawyer and am not giving you legal advice. If you want legal advice, please consult a lawyer.

Users still own their content under the TOS, they simply grant us (ProBoards) the license to transmit and display that content.