dianaschnuth

I was just poking around in my photography category on my blog, and clicked on a link to go to my lomohome on lomography.com.

404 Error? Hmm, looks like the site got a redesign. Oh, look — I can migrate my old account. All is not lost.

Or is it? All my photos are gone. Huh. Good thing I have local copies, eh? Ah, well. I can reupload.

Then I read the legalese:

5. Use of Ideas

If you send any communications or materials to the Site by electronic mail or otherwise, including any data, questions, comments, suggestions, or the like, all such communications are, and will be treated as, non-confidential and non-proprietary. Anything you transmit or post may be used by Lomography, its parent and/or its affiliates for any purpose, including, but not limited to, reproduction, disclosure, transmission, publication, broadcast, and posting. Furthermore, Lomography, its parent and its affiliates are free to use, without any compensation to you, any ideas, concepts, know-how, or techniques contained in any communication you send to the Site for any purpose whatsoever, including, but not limited to, developing, manufacturing, and marketing products using such information.

I’m reading this as saying that I lose the rights to any photos I upload — or, rather, they gain unlimited rights without me getting any kickback or even acknowledgment. They might mean this to refer to unsolicited product ideas, but it comes off as ANY upload to the site ANYWHERE.

See ya, lomohomes. Check my Flickr for my Lomo pics from now on.