Comparing the Evilbook with similar services…

Did you read the small print? Let’s compare the “Terms” from Facebook with other similar social networking services.

The Bad:

Facebook

“By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing.”

The Better:

Bebo.com

“Bebo does not claim any ownership rights in any Materials that you submit, post, or display on or through the Bebo Services or on the Bebo.com Web site. After submitting, posting or displaying Materials on or through the Bebo Services or on the Bebo.com Web site, you continue to retain all ownership rights in such Materials, and you continue to have the right to use your Materials in any way you choose. By submitting, posting or displaying any Materials on or through the Bebo Service, you hereby grant to Bebo a limited license to use, modify, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce, and distribute such Materials (and all components or underlying works making up the Materials) solely on and through the Bebo Service.”

Jaxtr

“Jaxtr does not claim any ownership rights in the text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, musical works, works of authorship, or any other materials works of authorship (collectively, "Content") that you post to the jaxtr Services. After posting your Content to the jaxtr Services, you continue to retain all ownership rights in such Content, and you continue to have the right to use your Content in any way you choose. By displaying or publishing ("posting") any Content on or through the jaxtr Services, you hereby grant to jaxtr a limited license to use, modify, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce, and distribute such Content solely on and through the jaxtr Services.”

MySpace.com

“MySpace.com does not claim any ownership rights in the text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, musical works, works of authorship, or any other materials (collectively, "Content") that you post to the MySpace Services. After posting your Content to the MySpace Services, you continue to retain all ownership rights in such Content, and you continue to have the right to use your Content in any way you choose. By displaying or publishing ("posting") any Content on or through the MySpace Services, you hereby grant to MySpace.com a limited license to use, modify, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce, and distribute such Content solely on and through the MySpace Services.

“The license does not grant MySpace.com the right to sell your Content, nor does the license grant MySpace.com the right to distribute your Content outside of the MySpace Services.”

Windows Live

“You may be able to submit materials for use in connection with the service. Except for material that we license to you, we do not claim ownership of the materials you post or otherwise provide to us related to the service (called a “submission”). However, by posting or otherwise providing your submission, you are granting to the public free permission to:

· use, copy, distribute, display, publish and modify your submission, each in connection with the service;

· publish your name in connection with your submission; and

· grant these permissions to other persons.

This section only applies to legally permissible content and only to the extent that use and publishing of the legally permissible content does not breach the law. We will not pay you for your submission. We may refuse to publish, and may remove your submission from the service at any time. For every submission you make, you must have all rights necessary for you to grant the permissions in this section.”

The Bad’s evil sisters:

Classmates.com

“When you participate in the Classmates community you are granting Classmates certain rights to use the Content you submit or post through the Website. By submitting Content you grant us a royalty-free, worldwide, non-terminable, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, edit, market, publish, store, distribute, have distributed, publicly and privately display, communicate, publicly and privately perform, transmit, have transmitted, create derivative works based upon, and promote such Content (in whole or in part) in any medium now known or hereafter devised, for editorial, commercial, promotional and all other purposes including, without limitation, the right to publish your name in connection with your Content; and the right to sublicense any or all of these rights. You acknowledge that Classmates owns all right, title, and interest in any compilation, collective work or other derivative work created using or incorporating the Content.”

Netlog

“When a user enters data that is meant to be viewable to the public via Netlog, including but not limited to text, pictures, images, drawings or graphics for a profile, guestbook entry, comment entry, a photo description, etcetera, the user grants Netlog an unlimited licence to disseminate, use, process, translate or modify this data.

“Netlog RESERVES ALL RIGHTS AND DENIES ANY LIABILITY WHATSOEVER.”

The Verdict:

There are okay social networking websites and there are bad ones. And then there’s Evilbook. Choose carefully who you wish to sell your soul to.