Watch out for that Dropbox Public Folder
Be careful what you put in your Dropbox public folder, their terms are draconian,
While you own the content contained in Your Files, you hereby grant all other Dropbox users a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, perpetual and irrevocable right and license to use and exploit Your Files in your public folder. In addition, you hereby grant Dropbox users who have been given access to your shared folder a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, perpetual and irrevocable right and license to use and exploit Your Files in your shared folder. You represent and warrant that you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to grant these licenses.
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Ouch!. That surely can’t be enforceable – can it ?
Walter
September 12, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Its more the case that you have to enforce it as in individual. Its a default right they have asserted.
jdrumgoole
September 12, 2008 at 3:54 pm
That’s stunning. Gobsmacking, even. Not to mention UTTERLY INSANE.
Sabrina
October 11, 2008 at 1:09 am
Yeah, I read that when I signed up for dropbox. So far there is only one file in my public folder, and I don’t plan many more!
JB
January 26, 2009 at 8:29 pm
I just downloaded DropBox and I don’t see that they tell you anywhere what that public folder is when you start using it.
Steven
September 30, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Sabrina – this is actually very common, and unexpected. It’s basically just saying that by putting stuff in your PUBLIC folder that you agree that other users might use the stuff that you put in your PUBLIC folder.
Nothing “gobsmacking” at all, really.
Bob
December 13, 2009 at 7:51 pm
It will be hard for them to use my files, since i cant get the damned thing to work anyway.
Gregory
December 30, 2009 at 11:01 pm
There’s no need to be unduly alarmed over this. Of course one should use discretion about what one puts in the public folder. This kind of legalese is used by companies for one purpose and one purpose only: to cover their ass legally. In a world where every kind of unscrupulous action can and does occur online, I can hardly blame them. It doesn’t mean the company is out to screw you; it means you should use reasonable discretion.
Gary
January 6, 2010 at 4:50 pm