#IdeaDrop Library House

Ownership of user-generated online content remains a hot topic. "User" can denote anyone from an author or photographer to a teenager who creates a meme that ends up on t-shirts. How can intellectual property law cover such a wide spectrum when so many issues do not even involve copyrightable material? As the story unfolds and the law scrambles to catch up, large corporations have tried to make claims that strip users of their rights and likely have adverse consequences to Internet Law. Facebook's Instagram app tried to modify their Terms Of Use to allow the sale of users’ photos without permission. Agence France Presse argued that they can freely use photos posted to Twitter because Twitter's Terms Of Use “encourage[s] broad reuse of Content." Craigslist also claim copyright to their users' content. Most attempts to claim ownership have ended in public outcry. Yet the courts have been surprisingly sympathetic to these claims, opening the door for ownership of you and what you own.