They pop up from time to time: posters who want their threads or posts removed because they're done with a subject or the forums in general.
There have been bitter disputes about the "ownership of posts".
The content below was culled from general rules and guidelines, and they will be applied to any dispute about "ownership".
As such, they are now part of our Rules & Guidelines.
Who Owns the Content?
- User Retains Copyright: In most cases, the person who writes a post retains the copyright to their content. This is the default under copyright law in many countries (like the US and EU).
- Forum’s Rights: However, by posting, users typically grant the forum a license to use, display, and sometimes modify their content. This license is usually non-exclusive, meaning the user can still use their content elsewhere.
What Do Forum Terms Usually Say?
- Exclusive vs. Non-Exclusive: Some forums may claim exclusive rights, but this is rare and usually specified in the terms.
- Irrevocable License: Many forums require users to grant an irrevocable license, meaning the forum can continue to use the content even if the user deletes their account.
- Public Content: Posts are often considered public, so other users may be able to share or reference them.
For the FreeBSD Forums, the situation is as follows:
- You retain copyright ownership of your posts. The FreeBSD Forums do not claim ownership of user-generated content.
- However, by posting, you grant the forum a license to use, display, and distribute your content as part of the forum. This is standard practice for most online forums, ensuring that the forum can operate and archive discussions.
- The FreeBSD Forums are hosted on the project’s servers, but this does not transfer ownership of your posts to the forum or the FreeBSD Project. Your content remains yours, but the forum has the right to host and manage it according to their policies.
In summary: You own your posts, but the forum has a license to use them as part of its operations.
There have been bitter disputes about the "ownership of posts".
The content below was culled from general rules and guidelines, and they will be applied to any dispute about "ownership".
As such, they are now part of our Rules & Guidelines.
Who Owns the Content?
- User Retains Copyright: In most cases, the person who writes a post retains the copyright to their content. This is the default under copyright law in many countries (like the US and EU).
- Forum’s Rights: However, by posting, users typically grant the forum a license to use, display, and sometimes modify their content. This license is usually non-exclusive, meaning the user can still use their content elsewhere.
What Do Forum Terms Usually Say?
- Exclusive vs. Non-Exclusive: Some forums may claim exclusive rights, but this is rare and usually specified in the terms.
- Irrevocable License: Many forums require users to grant an irrevocable license, meaning the forum can continue to use the content even if the user deletes their account.
- Public Content: Posts are often considered public, so other users may be able to share or reference them.
For the FreeBSD Forums, the situation is as follows:
- You retain copyright ownership of your posts. The FreeBSD Forums do not claim ownership of user-generated content.
- However, by posting, you grant the forum a license to use, display, and distribute your content as part of the forum. This is standard practice for most online forums, ensuring that the forum can operate and archive discussions.
- The FreeBSD Forums are hosted on the project’s servers, but this does not transfer ownership of your posts to the forum or the FreeBSD Project. Your content remains yours, but the forum has the right to host and manage it according to their policies.
In summary: You own your posts, but the forum has a license to use them as part of its operations.