Comments on MLS Tesseract: Where are the copyrights? Copyrights in MLS listin...

I am an architectural photographer. I do a great ...

2010-02-08T20:10:09.771-06:00

I am an architectural photographer. I do a great deal of work for Realtors. I feel the MLSs are not making it clear to their members that it is necessary to have permission to reuse photographs that appear on the MLS. It has been very difficult for me to enforce my Copyrights because "it was on the MLS" has become a popular and accepted excuse for infringement. It's a terrible

@Robert: Implied licenses are tricky things. Firs...

2010-01-31T12:48:05.144-06:00

@Robert: Implied licenses are tricky things. First, there is always the question of the scope of the license: Did the salesperson imply a license for MLS to share the content with other MLS subscribers (a necessary consequence of putting it in the MLS), or did she grant a broader license to commercialize the content beyond the MLS? Second, there is the issue of revocation: In most cases, an

Elizabeth - Coincidentally, I am running into thi...

2010-01-26T20:22:11.309-06:00

Elizabeth -

Coincidentally, I am running into this very issue currently, and our MLS acts as if they have no control.

My previous broker took all of the pictures and descriptions from a listing I listed and sold under them (now with a new broker), to use when they re-listed the same property 2 years later.

I was not an employee, nor did I sign anything waiving

It is indeed a complex issue- maybe because (1)the...

2010-01-26T20:07:31.862-06:00

It is indeed a complex issue- maybe because (1)there is no easy way to collect and make transparent the covenants of the assignment agreements between the Broker/salesperson and between the MLS/Broker; (2) the agreements often vary from location to location (even within the same MLS); and (3) how can one effectively enforce and/or correct infractions once identified?

This is a great

Very interesting to delve into copyright and how ...

2010-01-26T13:39:40.877-06:00

Very interesting to delve into copyright and how it relates to listings.

In most cases, when posting a listing to an MLS, aren't agents and brokers granting a limited, non-exclusive license to the elements (text, photos, etc.) of the listing?

I suppose this varies by MLS but that should provide the MLS with the ability to publish and sub-license the listing without