Don't Be Fooled By The Resurfaced Facebook 'Copyright' Hoax

Recently many Facebook users have been fooled into copying and pasting a hoax copyright message, which declares that they own the rights to the content they share on the social network. This message is inaccurate because Facebook does not own the copyright to your posts. And posting a copyright message on your status does not override Facebook’s Terms of Service. 

Facebook has a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page that addresses concerns about copyright. The question about copyright in the Facebook FAQ states: “Do I retain the copyright and other legal rights to material I upload to Facebook?” Facebook’s answer is: “Yes, you retain the copyright to your content. When you upload your content, you grant us a license to use and display that content.” Facebook’s data usage policy specifically says that the social network has a “non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License).”

If you are concerned about the copyright of content that you post on Facebook, simply delete it. After you delete it, Facebook cannot use it anymore unless it has been shared by your friends.

The most common copyright hoax message that has appeared in my News Feed says: “In response to the new Facebook guidelines, I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention). For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!” What makes the copyright hoax amusing is that the “Berner Convention” does not actually exist. The person behind the copyright hoax must have been referring to the international agreement governing copyright called “The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works,” also known as the “Berne Convention.” 

This is not the first time that this copyright hoax appeared in my News Feed. This hoax went viral in June 2012 and again in November 2012. Here is a screenshot of the copyright hoax message that appeared in my News Feed:

Copyright hoax spreading on Facebook / Screenshot via Amit Chowdhry

There are several hoaxes on Facebook that have spread over the past year. I have seen a hoax that claims you will feel weightless for a short period of time on January 4th due to a “long awaited planetary alignment.” The person that created this hoax manipulated a screenshot of NASA’s Twitter TWTR -3.82% account to make it seem believable. Another hoax that went viral claims that Facebook will start charging a monthly fee soon.

Facebook’s employees know that many users fall for hoaxes and satire news posted in the News Feed. This is why Facebook started showing a [Satire] tag whenever someone posted a link to parody news website TheOnion.com several months ago. What should you do if someone you know posts a copyright hoax message on Facebook? You can do what I do: write a comment in the post or send a message to your friend saying it is a hoax to prevent false information from spreading.

Have you seen the copyright hoax appear in your News Feed? Let us know in the comments section below telling us what you did after you saw it?