Copyright of usenet text posts

[johnye]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Any state

Hi, I want to remove some of my own inappropriate text posts from the Usenet, from one of the Usenet service providers, which is the only provider who has retained the posts after several years. I still have access to my email address mentioned in the posts headers.

Questions -

Do I have a fundamental right to remove my own posts? [Consider that Google allowed me to remove my own text posts from Google Groups after verifying my email address which was the same email address mentioned in the post headers.]

If yes, do I take the DMCA request route? [Consider that after my DMCA request, Google removed some of my other text posts from Google Groups, where the post headers had an obsolete email address.]

Are there any judgements / clauses in this regards which I can cite in my request to the Usenet service provider?

Many thanks for your help.
John.

 

[justalayman]

What right you have to affect the posts is controlled by the terms of service and users agreement you agreed to upon registration of the site that originally hosted your posts. If you granted an irrevocable license for them to use your posts in some way and they are doing just that, there is nothing you can do about the posts.

 

[Proserpina]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Any state

Hi, I want to remove some of my own inappropriate text posts from the Usenet, from one of the Usenet service providers, which is the only provider who has retained the posts after several years. I still have access to my email address mentioned in the posts headers.

Questions -

Do I have a fundamental right to remove my own posts? [Consider that Google allowed me to remove my own text posts from Google Groups after verifying my email address which was the same email address mentioned in the post headers.]

If yes, do I take the DMCA request route? [Consider that after my DMCA request, Google removed some of my other text posts from Google Groups, where the post headers had an obsolete email address.]

Are there any judgements / clauses in this regards which I can cite in my request to the Usenet service provider?

Many thanks for your help.
John.

Consider that Google were very nice to you.

They had no legal obligation to do a darned thing. Same with Usenet.

 

[johnye]

What right you have to affect the posts is controlled by the terms of service and users agreement you agreed to upon registration of the site that originally hosted your posts. If you granted an irrevocable license for them to use your posts in some way and they are doing just that, there is nothing you can do about the posts.

Well these were Usenet posts. When you post on the usenet, the posts gets propagated to various usenet servers. As I said, Google removed the posts from their usenet servers. I need to get the posts removed from some other provider's servers.

Is Usenet governed by some terms? If not, does any law apply by default that will help me to legally request post removal? Perhaps copyright?

John

 

[Proserpina]

Well these were Usenet posts. When you post on the usenet, the posts gets propagated to various usenet servers. As I said, Google removed the posts from their usenet servers. I need to get the posts removed from some other provider's servers.

Is Usenet governed by some terms? If not, does any law apply by default that will help me to legally request post removal? Perhaps copyright?

John

You're going to find that invariably these groups are very clear about their terms. What you post generally remains at least in part "their" property.

There is no law against them refusing to remove the posts, there is no law compelling them to honor your request.

As unfair as it might seem to you, it's a case of "don't post anything online you wouldn't want your employer, priest, spouse or kids to see".

(Even if you could get them removed, they'd still be available somewhere online)

 

[justalayman]

Are the posts being retained in accordance with or in contrast to any user agreement you entered in to?

 

[johnye]

You're going to find that invariably these groups are very clear about their terms. What you post generally remains at least in part "their" property.

There is no law against them refusing to remove the posts, there is no law compelling them to honor your request.

I understand that when a user posts to Usenet and the posts get propagated to hundreds of server providers, the user gives these providers an implicit permission to store and host the posts on their servers.
.
But how about revoking that permission citing copyright? When I post something, isn't that my copyright, whatever it is?

 

[johnye]

I understand that when a user posts to Usenet and the posts get propagated to hundreds of server providers, the user gives these providers an implicit permission to store and host the posts on their servers.
.
But how about revoking that permission citing copyright? When I post something, isn't that my copyright, whatever it is?

I meant 'something original', be it inappropriate.

 

[justalayman]

But how about revoking that permission citing copyright? When I post something, isn't that my copyright, whatever it is?

that depends on what the user agreement was that you agreed to so...

 

[Proserpina]

I understand that when a user posts to Usenet and the posts get propagated to hundreds of server providers, the user gives these providers an implicit permission to store and host the posts on their servers.
.
But how about revoking that permission citing copyright? When I post something, isn't that my copyright, whatever it is?

Yes and no.

It's yours, in as much as you authored the post.

But it could very well be theirs too - and I would suspect this to be the case simply because of the nature of Usenet - in as much as you agreed at the time to their terms and conditions.

I cannot see you overcoming what is essentially an insurmountable mountain without spending serious money (and I'm not talking a couple of grand here - I'm talking at least another zero) and even then I don't rate your chances.

I do feel that you're basically at the whim of Whomever It May Be.

 

[johnye]

that depends on what the user agreement was that you agreed to so...

Well the provider through which the posts were posted is out of business, so I can't find the service agreement. The posts propagated to hundreds of other providers who have their own terms, but I specifically did not agree to their terms.

 

[TheGeekess]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Any state

Hi, I want to remove some of my own inappropriate text posts from the Usenet, from one of the Usenet service providers, which is the only provider who has retained the posts after several years. I still have access to my email address mentioned in the posts headers.

Questions -

Do I have a fundamental right to remove my own posts? [Consider that Google allowed me to remove my own text posts from Google Groups after verifying my email address which was the same email address mentioned in the post headers.]

If yes, do I take the DMCA request route? [Consider that after my DMCA request, Google removed some of my other text posts from Google Groups, where the post headers had an obsolete email address.]

Are there any judgements / clauses in this regards which I can cite in my request to the Usenet service provider?

Many thanks for your help.
John.

There is more than one Usenet provider. You might as well find a different hobby than trying to remove those archived posts from the hundreds of servers still out there.

 

[johnye]

Yes and no.

I cannot see you overcoming what is essentially an insurmountable mountain without spending serious money (and I'm not talking a couple of grand here - I'm talking at least another zero) and even then I don't rate your chances.

I do feel that you're basically at the whim of Whomever It May Be.

After several man-months of research, I found there's only one provider who has retained the posts from 2003. Other providers simply couldn't afford to keep up with ever growing data and have ran out of business. So it doesn't look insurmountable.

How about invoking law of another country(s) where I travel and may have businesses and convincing that provider that they're breaking the law? There must be some way out...

 

[TheGeekess]

After several man-months of research, I found there's only one provider who has retained the posts from 2003. Other providers simply couldn't afford to keep up with ever growing data and have ran out of business. So it doesn't look insurmountable.

How about invoking law of another country(s) where I travel and may have businesses and convincing that provider that they're breaking the law? There must be some way out...

There is no way out. There is no way to make any other providers delete your posts.

 

[johnye]

There is more than one Usenet provider. You might as well find a different hobby than trying to remove those archived posts from the hundreds of servers still out there.

Nop, there's only one provider who has the post as of today (see my other responses.)