Flickr agrees to be acquired by SmugMug

[singlecoil]

Had an email from Flickr this morning. The rest of the title said "What this means for you" but the email didn't say what it would mean for me apart from my account being transferred to SmugMug unless I deleted it.

Anybody heard anything more or able to hazard as guess as to whether it will continue as a free service?


Edited to add, I've had a quick look through the attached terms of use, but apart from saying they can do whatever they want don't actually say what their intentions are.

Edited by singlecoil on Saturday 21st April 05:49

[Eyersey1234]

Just a guess but I would think it depends if Smugmug keep Flickr running as a separate site. I've a Smugmug account and with them you have your own site (as opposed to all photos going on one site as Flickr). Costs about £5 a month or £40 for a year.

[djsmith74]

I had the same email. A cursory search through the related articles on Google indiacte that the CEO of Smugmug doesn’t really know what he wants to do with Flickr. I’m not entirely sure how i feel about the aquisition, but it can’t be any worse than the ownership under Yahoo. Even the 500px hosting site has been bought by some Chinese conglomorate. As the masters to all my Flickr photos are stored in Lightroom, if I don’t like the new Flickr environment, then I’ll just close it down and walk away.

[jmorgan]

No David Bailey here but T+C very important.

[jmorgan]

https://www.smugmug.com/about/terms-flickr

New T+C, am i reading that smug have no claims on your content? Think so.

[ruaricoles]

Looks like it, though not sure what the 2nd paragraph is getting at - perhaps just enabling them to put selected photos onto the Flickr/Smugmug homepage or similar

---

From section 6

You retain all intellectual property rights in and to any User Content you post, upload or otherwise make available through the Services, including the copyright in and to your photos and videos. SmugMug does not claim any ownership, right, title or interest in and to your User Content.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, by uploading and/or posting any User Content to the Services, you grant SmugMug a perpetual, nonexclusive and royalty-free right to use the User Content (and the user name that is submitted in connection with such User Content) as is reasonably necessary in order to enable SmugMug to provide the Services, including to display the User Content on the Services.

[DIW35]

Think I'll be deleting my account. Not happy about giving anyone free use of my photos, not that it's likely that they'd want to.

[Lucas CAV]

DIW35 said:

Think I'll be deleting my account. Not happy about giving anyone free use of my photos, not that it's likely that they'd want to.

Isn't it exactly the same as Flickr explore etc where photos are showcased?

[Craikeybaby]

I got the email this morning. Whilst Yahoo haven't been great, I hope SmugMug don't fiddle with it too much.

[droopsnoot]

I'd mainly started using Flickr after the Photobucket "scandal", so I'm hoping that it doesn't go the same way. Most of my images are just for picture-sharing in forums, so the rest of it probably isn't a major issue for me.

[LongQ]

Just spotted the email in my spam folder.

Interesting in a way because my Pro Account came with BT Internet via their use of Yahoo email back in the day. I think that was also some sort of industry rationalisation effect.

Now a couple of years ago BT were mailing to tell me that they were moving everyone onto BT email (effectively dropping the deal with Yahoo) but that never seems to have happened so I still seem to have all of the Yahoo "benefits" including, presumably, the Flickr Pro account. That said I can't recall the last time I used it other than to see other people's work.

I guess I have about a month to find out what will happen and decide whether it matters to me. Or less, perhaps, given the odd way in which I came by the account anyway.