Good websites to share online photos

[gunjankv]

<p>Could you please provide your inputs based on your experience on what are some of the best websites to upload albums and share with friends, without loosing copyrights of images?<br>

I heard that if you upload on picasa, by default you surrender image rights to picasa?</p>

 

[leicaglow]

<p>The only other sites, besides Photo.net, that I know of are Flickr and Smugmug. You might look at their agreements.</p>

[derek_kennedy]

<p>You keep your copyright using Smugmug.</p>

[craigd]

<p>There are lots of photo sharing sites out there. But I very much doubt that you lose your copyright by uploading an image to Picasa. I don't think, legally speaking, that it would be possible (or more specifically, defensible in court) for a web site's TOS to say, "By uploading images to this site, you give up your copyright to the site owners."</p>

<p>However, there are sites that in their TOSs ask for a broader license than they really need. I've seen one -- I forget where -- that basically said, "You hereby grant the site owners a perpetual, royalty-free license to use your uploaded pictures for any purpose whatsoever." That struck me as a bit much and I declined to upload any images to that site.</p>

<p><a href="http://craigd.smugmug.com">My photos</a> are hosted at SmugMug, which has a very carefully phrased TOS that says, in essence, that by uploading you grant SmugMug a royalty-free license to use your photos in ways that are necessary to the operation of the site. In other words, you can't upload a photo to SmugMug and then sue them for making "derivative works" such as thumbnails and reduced-size versions for viewing. This seems reasonable to me.</p>

<p>Before joining any photo sharing site, I recommend reading the TOS all the way through and asking about anything you don't understand.</p>

[tom_mann1]

<p>Pbase ... They seem to host some very nice images, and I occasionally browse it, but, unfortunately, know nothing about its TOS as I don't participate there.</p>

<p>Tom M</p>

[johnmyers]

<blockquote>

<p>However, there are sites that in their TOSs ask for a broader license than they really need. I've seen one -- I forget where -- that basically said, "You hereby grant the site owners a perpetual, royalty-free license to use your uploaded pictures for any purpose whatsoever." That struck me as a bit much and I declined to upload any images to that site.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Craig, would you be by chance meaning Facebook?</p>

[craigd]

<p>No, not Facebook. I forget what site it was, but as I recall, it was an image-sharing site aimed at photography enthusiasts.</p>

[maciek_stankiewicz]

<p><strong>PBase</strong>. Please remember to add informations about camera, lens, etc.</p>

[robert_k1]

<p>Here's a thread that touches upon the copyright and *usage right* at photo sharing sites:<br>

http://www.photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00WBi0?start=10</p>

<p>Below is one of my comments:<br>

<strong>"By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.</strong><br /> <strong>11.2 You agree that this licence includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.</strong><br /> <strong>11.3 You understand that Google, in performing the required technical steps to provide the Services to our users, may (a) transmit or distribute your Content over various public networks and in various media; and (b) make such changes to your Content as are necessary to conform and adapt that Content to the technical requirements of connecting networks, devices, services or media. You agree that this licence shall permit Google to take these actions.</strong><br /> <strong>11.4 You confirm and warrant to Google that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the above licence."</strong><br /> <strong><br /></strong><br /> If you don't consider Google's above terms to mean ownership, perhaps you can define ownership better. By stating that the submitters <strong>"retain copyright and any other rights [they] already hold in content which [they] submit"</strong>, Google is offering nothing more than *joint* ownership. That may sound very generous, but is actually unnecessary. The submitters always own their rights, with or without Google's silly statement.<strong><br /></strong></p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>Zenfolio, Photobucket, Zooomr and Pnet here, of course...</p>

[goldbergbarry]

<p>+1 for Zenfolio</p>

[john_h.1]

<blockquote>

<p>what are some of the best websites to upload albums and share with friends, without loosing copyrights of images?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>How do you loose a copyright? http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/difficulties/looselose.html</p>

[steve_lantz]

<p>I've been using Pbase for several years. Lot's of freedom in setting up your albums, plenty of templates if you don't want to do your own coding, but most of all I like the ease of viewing. Click on a thumb nail and you have the photo in whatever size you uploaded. Slide show if you want.</p>

[stp]

<p>fredmiranda.com</p>