Craigslist - Compulsory Licensing Rights?
Like 50 million other Americans, I utilize Craigslist to post classified ads.
Today, while posting a couple of ads, I took note of the following:
Clicking “Continue” confirms that craigslist is the exclusive licensee of this content, with the exclusive right to enforce copyrights against anyone copying, republishing, distributing or preparing derivative works without its consent.
As a seasoned amateur photographer, I became alarmed with this statement as it appears to be a compulsory licensing right.
Why the concern you may ask? From time to time I will post ads in search of models for photo shoots. In these ads, I also may post samples of my portfolio. With the above statement, it could potentially grant Craigslist exclusive licensing rights to my photographs. In simple terms, if I post samples of my work in a Craigslist ad, it could potentially grant them the sole right to say when, where, and how my images are displayed.
I have sent an e-mail to Craigslist, requesting clarification of the above statement. I will post their reply as soon as I receive one.
Any thoughts? Please let me know.
