Development of Creative Commons licenses

[Brad Collins <brad AT studiojungle.net>]

Wouter Vanden Hove <wouter.vanden.hove AT pandora.be> writes:


> **************
> MATERIALS PROVIDED TO MICROSOFT OR POSTED AT ANY MSN WEB SITE
>
> Microsoft does not claim ownership of the materials you provide to
> Microsoft (including feedback and suggestions) or post, upload, input or
> submit to any MSN Site/Service or its associated services for review by
> the general public, or by the members of any public or private group,
> (each a "Submission" and collectively "Submissions"). However, by
> posting, uploading, inputting, providing or submitting ("Posting") your
> Submission you are granting Microsoft, its affiliated companies and
> necessary sublicensees permission to use your Submission in connection
> with the operation of their Internet businesses (including, without
> limitation, all MSN Sites/Services), including, without limitation, the
> license rights to: copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display,
> publicly perform, reproduce, edit, translate and reformat your
> Submission; to publish your name in connection with your Submission; and
> the right to sublicense such rights to any supplier of a MSN
> Site/Service. 
>

**translation** : if you post here we have the right to use and abuse
  what you posted in any way.

> No compensation will be paid with respect to the use of your Submission,
> as provided herein. Microsoft is under no obligation to post or use any
> Submission you may provide and Microsoft may remove any Submission at
> any time in its sole discretion. 

**translation** : if we abuse your work we won't pay you for it.

> Compare this to the other clauses in the opposite direction:
>
> "For any Software not accompanied by a license agreement, Microsoft
> Corporation hereby grants to you, the user, a revocable personal,
> non-transferable license to use the Software for viewing and otherwise
> using the particular MSN Site/Service in accordance with these Terms of
> Use, and for no other purpose provided."
>

**translation** : we give you generous approval to read what we write,
  and perhaps print a copy in private but otherwise you can't do
  anything with our stuff.

I'd call MS Weasels but it would give mere weasels a bad name. But to
be fair this is probably a fairly standard licence which isn't much
different from rights a traditional print newspaper claim for anything
that is sent to them (like letters to the editor or an agony aunt).

b/

--
Brad Collins
Chenla Labs
Bangkok, Thailand