Google's Chrome and Copyright Ownership

September 03, 2008

I'm not a legal expert but apparently the licence that you agree to when you install Google's Chrome browser actually gives Google the right to use any information that you enter using it. In other words, if I'd written this post using Chrome then Google would have the right to...

"a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content that you submit, post or display on or through the Services".

Bearing in mind the recent GMail privacy issues this is worth knowing. More information can be found here:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/03/google_chrome_eula_sucks/
http://quetwo.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/you-wont-see-me-in-chrome/

5 comments

  1. This would infringe on already established copyright laws! Makes no sense...

    Comment by ssandy – September 03, 2008
  2. looked pretty clear it was just standard boiler plate for their services. They already stated they are removing it.

    www.mattcutts.com/blog/google-chrome-license-agreement/

    Comment by joshua – September 03, 2008
  3. Looks like they decided to revoke the EULA,

    arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080903-google-on-chrome-eula-controversy-our-bad-well-change-it.html

    Comment by JAlpino – September 03, 2008
  4. Storm in a teacup - Google have already acknowledged the issue and are working to update the EULA. They just reused wording from another Google service EULA without adjusting the content license. It's no big deal.

    Comment by Sean Corfield – September 03, 2008
  5. Thanks for the comments. I figured it must just be standard text they'd taken from another service - it is a beta after all. Even so it's good to know that Google have acknowledged this in this sadly increasingly litigious world!

    Comment by John Whish – September 04, 2008

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