2022
A note before you start to read: This post is very long, so i decided to split it in three part:
Chapter 1: A Reflection on "Original Content" - What if this Photo ... is Yours? (this post)
Chapter 2: A reflection on Original Content - Rules and more
Chapter 3 - A reflection on Original Content - FAQ
make sure to scroll down to read the complete post
Hi Local Guides.
After reading several posts and questions about "Original Content", I would like to start a conversation on this topic because it is sometimes misunderstood.
Before talking about rules, which obviously we have, I would like to ask you to change your perspective, entering for a few minutes "in other’s shoes".
I want to invite you to read this story, which is a true story and, at the end, to tell me "what would you have done in this situation?"
Introduction: The real story of a real friend
A friend of mine is a craftsman. He works with the paper, to build notebooks and games, which he sells in the craft street markets.
He is very good, and proud of his work. He is often invited to fairs set in the Middle Ages, where he shows up with his period costume.
He likes to take photos of his activity, that are usually uploaded on his FaceBook page.
Times ago, walking in the city where the next fair would take place, he saw the posters announcing the event and, with great surprise, he discovered that the photo used was .. his photo, which he had uploaded on his profile in FaceBook.
Nobody asked him the permission for using the photo, nor they informed him about that.
They simply “took the photo” as it was “public in Internet”.
If you had been in my friend's shoes, what would you have done?
The question is open, for you to respond, and to give some tip to him, and to the community.
Back on our shoes
Now is the time to go back on our shoes and think about it, every time we don't have a good photo and ... "maybe on the Internet we find a more beautiful one" or ... "an already written text that explains very well what we would like to write".
My Cover Photo - An example of Good Practices
My cover photo have a different story, and it is perfectly following all the rules of Copyright and Intellectual Property:
- The Newspaper asked me for permission to use the photo
- They mentioned me on the caption
If you are curious about the story behind the photo, you can read: When I was a kid I was Down - Don't call me disable
Unfortunately, it is not always like this
What if that photo … is mine?
In my opinion this should be the first thought, if someone thinks of taking an image online to use it.Ethical behavior would make many of the points mentioned below not necessary.
We have rules and also laws, to protect Copyright and intellectual property, but if we don’t start to think about us as “the Author”, we may not be able to understand the rules, why the rules are there and what the rules are for.
This post may end now, I believe this may already explain why not use other people's content.
But if you want to know more, on the next pages you can find more details about:
- Values of the community; Rules of Maps and Connect; A small introduction about Copyright law
- FAQ about Original Content
Oh, here are the hands of my friend
Original Content - Rules and more
As we said, we have rules and laws in places to protect the Copyright and intellectual property, but the first rule, for me, is always “What if this Photo …. is Yours ?”
Local Guides Connect
As usual, on Local Guides Connect and in Google Maps there are clear answer and explanation about the rules, but again (as I did it already on other posts) I would like to start from the values, not from the rules.
Values
Values are the reason why, on the first position of the list I am putting again our five core values: “We’re original. We post our own words, photos, and videos that we’ve created just for Connect. We don't share content that we don't have the rights to.” Simply this, no more. Rights and Create, are the keywords: the rights of the Author, the rights of the ones who used his time to “Create” a content, a photo, a novel, a paint, a music. His creativity can be public, for us to enjoy, but still be his own creativity, and must be acknowledged.
On our Help Desk there is an extremely clear post about the subject: How do I follow the original content guidelines on Connect?. I don’t need to write the content here. I only want to paste the last sentence:
Posts with images or content used without the copyright holder’s permission will be removed from Connect.
A bit strong, isn't it? Oh nooo, don't worry, it's absolutely appropriate. Are you wondering why?
Rules
Since we are Local Guides, we contribute to Google Maps and in Google Maps we will never publish content that is not originally ours, isn't it?
We have rules in place for this, about photos and reviews, rules that we can reach with a few tap on our Google Maps App.
Maps User Contributed Content Policy says: “Contributions must be based on real experiences and information. Deliberately fake content, copied or stolen photos, off-topic reviews … are all in violation of our policy. If you see this behavior, please report it.
… We also reserve the right to remove content that violates our policies or terms of service, and to suspend or delete abusive accounts”
The same principle is obviously extended to Connect
Laws
In most countries of the world, "intellectual property" is protected by law and, more importantly, it is protected by default. What does it mean? Basically, it means that everything you post is automatically protected and you can claim your rights if someone uses your content by asking:
- The removal of the stolen content
- The payment for the use of your material
Furthermore, in some countries, the responsibility for the use of stolen material (yes, stolen is the word for uploading and publishing content not created by us without the author's permission) also involves the owner of the platform. It means that the owner of the platform (Google in this case) can be held responsible for the stolen content.
Conclusion:
What would you do if you were the owner of the platform?
Personally, I would immediately remove the plagiarized content and inform whoever uploaded it of the rules. If the same action were repeated, I would remove access to the platform from those who added the inappropriate content.
The post is part of the series: A Reflection on "Original Content" - What if this Photo ... is Yours?
FAQ about Original Content
Here below you can find a list of the most common questions about Original Content In Google Maps and Local Guides Connect
Are all the contents published online free to use?
No, they are not. All published content is protected by copyright and by definition must be considered "not usable", unless otherwise specified.
There are websites that give Photos for free, without asking for permission or giving credit to the artist. Can I use them in Google Maps?
No. “Contributions must be based on real experiences and information. Deliberately fake content, copied or stolen photos, off-topic reviews … are all in violation of our policy. If you see this behavior, please report it.” Source: Maps User Contributed Content Policy
May I use “Royalty Free” photos in Google Maps?
No, see the answer above: “Contributions must be based on real experiences and information”
There are websites that give Photos for free, without asking for permission or giving credit to the artist. Can I use them in Connect?
No. “Only share photos you have taken yourself or received permission to use directly from the copyright owner. Do not download and post photos from Google Search, Google Maps, social media, stock photo websites, or elsewhere on the internet without receiving permission from the owner of that photo”. Source: How do I follow the original content guidelines on Connect?
May I use contents taken from articles on Wikipedia, or other websites?
“Do not pass off someone else’s words as your own. If you are sharing words someone else has written, use quotation marks around the statement and link to the source where you found that information.
It should be clear which words are yours and which are someone else’s.” Source: How do I follow the original content guidelines on Connect?
What can happen to me if I upload “not original content” in Google Maps?
Google Maps “reserve the right to remove content that violates our policies or terms of service, and to suspend or delete abusive accounts” Source: Maps User Contributed Content Policy
What can I do if I uploaded “not original content” in Google Maps?
“Do you think you may have shared photos on Google Maps that go against our guidelines, rules, and policies? Go through your photo contributions, remove any photos and videos that may be considered irrelevant or spam, and help others easily find useful information. Remember if you delete your photos and videos or if they are removed by our team, your Local Guides points for those contributions will also be removed.” Source: What photos should I share on Google Maps?
What can happen to me if I upload “not original content” in Connect?
“Posts with images or content used without the copyright holder’s permission will be removed from Connect”. Source: How do I follow the original content guidelines on Connect?
A Google Moderator will always tag you in the thread, to inform you when this happen.
The post is part of the series: A Reflection on "Original Content" - What if this Photo ... is Yours?
That is a complete guideline for all users & Contributors of Google Maps & Local Guides Connect about original content. And this was really need of time. Can we use your all tutorial posts as reference in our posts when it's need?
Thank you for another great post.
Shukriya @ErmesT
