New Terms Agreement?

Please explain this to me so that I can understand this better. I’m not a lawyer so I may be wrong, but did I just read that if I upload and cut MY OWN FILE that I created myself, you, GLOWFORGE, have free reign on MY designs?

Hmmm :thinking:

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That hasn’t changed from the original agreement that you signed. They have always had the right to access your information in order to perform troubleshooting in the event of failure.

The key phrase is the second half of that…

“solely to enable your use of that Content or to resolve any issues that may arise with the Service.”

(I try to keep up with changes to the Terms…this was a reorganization and a fleshing out of certain definitions making it easier to read, and to prep for the Premium service when it goes live. The key points didn’t change for the original service, from what I remember in the last one.) :slightly_smiling_face:

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This is pretty standard language for any online service.

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That’s a pretty wide net you are casting and it makes me wonder what other services I’m using with the same agreements. I guess it just took me for a shock because I, like many other people, never read the original agreement lol. Sometimes I wish I had the understanding of a lawyer.

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Thank you Jules.

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Yeah, don’t start reading legal stuff…it damages your brain. :smile:
(Why use one word when six will do?)

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Amateur.

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This is why people do not bother to read the fine print. It just messes with your day.
Some software had catch 22 segments. Along the lines of - if you open this package and read this you have agreed to…
And that disclaimer is inside the package you just opened. Yikes.

Just forge ahead with the knowledge that any fine print is not going to benefit you, and have fun with whatever you just purchased.

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Imagine if they passed a law that any terms of agreement had to be an equal negotiation. Imagine if you had to sign away your rights like that to get water? (oh! you do?) In many software systems you either sign or flip burgers, and to get a job flipping burgers you have to sign away your rights anyway.

They could slip in any horror and only enforce it later. I was getting a job through a friend but the company used another company to manage payroll. So to get the job I had to sign an agreement that had a $10,000 fee to ever contact their clients without going through them first. I refused and did not get that job or any other from any of the jobbers I had used for years, Was I blackballed? Try and prove it.

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This is deliberate. And you should definitely wonder what you’re signing away if you’re not in the habit of reading the TOS. I always try to at least give it a skim, especially on newer services/platforms.

If you use any social media, I guarantee you’ll see something similar. Worldwide, irrevocable rights, blah, blah, blah. In order to show your design to you on their platform, they need permission. The caveat that it’s specifically for your use of their platform is what is important. But, yes, it always sounds like you’re signing your life away.

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As Cory Doctorow would say:

By standing there screaming “No! No! No! I absolutely do not agree,” you agree that …

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I read the TOS on YouTube and decided to go with Vimeo. I read the TOS of Instagram and bought myself a cheap tablet that ONLY goes on Instagram, I take photos w/ my phone that does not play on the internet, and then load the photos to the tablet via Bluetooth. This way, Instagram never has access to the photos on my computer.

I read the TOS for Glowforge today (it just popped up when I went to sign on); they are not particularly egregious and I trust them a lot more than I trust FB/Instagram. They acknowledge my rights more than most other TOS.

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I faxed through and was concerned aboutallthe ways you could get kicked off of service which would makethe glowforge unusable. Was anyone else concerned

Yes, I considered it very carefully before signing three and a half years ago.

(It can be very scary sounding the first time you read it. Their FNLs are top of the line.) :slightly_smiling_face:

They do indeed have the right to refuse service for any reason, or none at all.

We don’t have any option though, if we want to use the service. (We’re actually buying a service, not the machine, unless we plan to use it for parts.) To have use of the service, we have to agree to the terms. Break those terms, and they have the right to disconnect our machines. Can’t think of a case where they have done that, but they could if they needed to. For instance if someone was blatantly stealing designs and passing them off as their own, and the people whose designs were stolen filed a complaint with Glowforge, they can turn off the machine of the thief. A lot of the restrictions are in there to protect intellectual property rights for the designers and users.

(Which is actually a good thing. And no, they won’t go after someone who doesn’t know any better, but they might strongly suggest they stop doing it, or risk getting shut down.)

Other restrictions are in there for our safety, and for theirs. If someone breaks the machine by making modifications to it, they are responsible for any repair costs. It’s not going to be covered under warranty. Exceptions for “Acts of God”. Explanations of what our rights are regarding disputes. That sort of thing is standard in most Terms of Service contracts.

Wouldn’t waste too much time worrying over it, but it is a very good idea these days to always read them before you sign them, so you know what your options are. Good on you for reading it! :slightly_smiling_face:

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I still have an issue. I did not pay 5K for facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. They are stating that either we agree to current and I assume all future iterations of TOS or the machine is a pricy paperweight. There are many things that can kick you off service which we are not told specifics, arbitatrion procedure or who decides. Such as pornographic content. Who decides that? Or what. I agreed to one set of TOS when I purchased. This is showing me that the company can make new laws that I must agree to or I cannot work a machine that I bought.

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I wish I had been smarter when I read those first TOS.
I understand they havent but that they can makes me nervous.
It isn’t clear what the procedur ewould be if they suddenly decide you are in violation.
Who would you appeal to?
Is it super secretive like Instagram or YouTube if they decide and you have a very shadowy appeal process?

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No, you have the right to arbitration. (It’s very clearly laid out in there, somewhere around paragraph two hundred and sixty something or other.) :smile:

It’s also standard, so really not worth worrying about. Just go use it, (obviously, don’t steal other people’s IP), and enjoy it. There are other much more important things to worry about these days. I’ve been running for four years under it and no issues. It didn’t change significantly from the original.

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I understand what your saying and believe me I have been a frothing at the mouth hamster with worry about many other things. This still gives me pause and I hate having no option but to agree. I have had issues with YouTube and Instagram in the past with TOS and lost arbitration. It makes me very nervous to possibly loose and have a non functioning machine.

Based on my own experience making adult toys and satirical effigies of other less-than-favorable forum members here embodied as adult content, Glowforge has not made a habit of policing such content generated by us users. Just the opposite, the support team enjoys the laugh when they see the designs in the dashboard. :angel:

They’re more concerned with users infringing on the IP of others, as well as ensuring they are able to generate their own marketing materials, which usually means they need permission to use your photos while also giving you full credit, as well as a link to your website/gallery.

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Not sure what the issues were (and you don’t need to tell me) but I can tell you that I trust Glowforge a HELL of a lot more than either of those entities. I won’t belong to either of them any more.

If you want to do porn stuff, don’t post it here though. You can be removed from the forum (rated G for kids) while not having your machine use privileges revoked. (Just cuts you off from the fun crowd.) :smile:

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