FamilySearch.org Submission Agreement and the Upload Guidelines

The FamilySearch Blog for What's New on FamilySearch--April 2016 has the following notice:

The first time you upload memories using the Gallery, you will be asked to accept the FamilySearch Content Submission Agreement. To indicate that you will comply with the agreement, you must check the box. To read the FamilySearch.org Content Submission Agreement and the Upload Guidelines pages, click the links. If you do not accept, you will not be able to upload memories.

This type of agreement is very common for large, online websites and most of us click through these notices without a thought.  But there are some provisions of the Content Submission Agreement and Upload Guidelines that might be surprising to the average user of the program. The FamilySearch notices (i.e. agreements) are probably ones you will want to read.

These notices and agreements are in small print at the very bottom of each page of the FamilySearch.org website and are clickable from the words, "Rights and Use Information." Here are some highlights of the provisions, but certainly not all of them. I have bolded some of the things you might want to consider.

By using this site, you agree to all of the terms and conditions set forth herein (“Agreement”). If you disagree with any of the terms or conditions, do not use this site. We reserve the right to change this Agreement at any time, so please check for changes to this Agreement each time you use this site. Your continued use of the site following the posting of changes to this Agreement means that you accept those changes.

Well, how many of us do just that? Here is another provision to think about.

All content found on this site (including visuals, text, icons, displays, databases, media, and general information) is owned by us or licensed to us. You may view, download, and print content from this site only for your personal, noncommercial use, or for your use as a volunteer indexer in connection with the FamilySearch Indexing Program pursuant to the FamilySearch Indexing Program Terms and Conditions or the FamilySearch Indexing Software License Agreement. In addition to the foregoing, unless otherwise indicated, content may be viewed, downloaded, or reproduced by media personnel for use in traditional public news media. You may not post content from this site on another website or on a computer network without our permission. You may not transmit or distribute content from this site to other sites. You may not use this site or information found at this site (including the names and addresses of those who have submitted information) to sell or promote products or services, to solicit clients, or for any other commercial purpose.

Hmm. FamilySearch owns all the photos on the site or did you give them a license? As a matter of fact you did when you put the photos on their website.

In exchange for your use of this site and/or our storage of any data you submit, you hereby grant us an unrestricted, fully paid-up, royalty-free, worldwide, and perpetual license to use any and all information, content, and other materials (collectively, “Contributed Content”) that you submit or otherwise provide to this site (including, without limitation, genealogical data and discussions and information or data relating to deceased persons) for any and all purposes, in any and all manners, and in any and all forms of media that we, in our sole discretion, deem appropriate for the furtherance of our mission to promote family history and genealogical research. As part of this license, you give us permission to copy, publicly display, transmit, broadcast, and otherwise distribute your Contributed Content throughout the world, by any means we deem appropriate (electronic or otherwise, including the Internet). You also understand and agree that as part of this license, we have the right to create derivative works from your Contributed Content by combining all or a portion of it with that of other contributors or by otherwise modifying your Contributed Content.

These provisions are not new, they have been on the website since it was introduced. The terms of this agreement don't really matter to me, but I am mindful of what I put online and especially what I put on FamilySearch.org. You should be also.

There is also a Content Submission Agreement. This says a lot of the same things as I have cited above, but here is one very interesting provision.

You agree to provide true, accurate and complete information. If we determine, in our sole and absolute discretion, that any information you provide is false or misleading, we have the right, but not the obligation, to take any remedial or preventative action we deem appropriate, including restricting access and/or deleting or editing any of your Contributed Content.

I guess I could use this as a reason for deleting information from the Family Tree. Here is also a link to the Rules for images and stories uploaded to FamilySearch Memories. You'll have to look at this yourself.