Weather Channel buys out Weather Underground

[Dave Gallaher]

http://www.freep.com/article/201207...Weather-Underground-data-company-of-Ann-Arbor

 

[John Fertsch]

mixed feelings on this topic - i see both good and bad with this - hope they manage it well...

 

[TrumanBoyer]

mixed feelings on this topic - i see both good and bad with this - hope they manage it well...

I hope they keep "managers" out of it...

wunderground does not splatter pop-up adds all over their website like weather channel does.
I use it on the cell phone because I can scroll using the touch screen without triggering a
Viagra commercial. Plus I can directly access the nearest "underground" weather station with
a live feed.

I hope this policy continues... but I doubt it does.
When big corporate management enters the game, advertising trumps everything.

So now the chain of command is Weather Underground <-- Weather Channel <-- NBC <-- General Electric ????

I think Microsoft fits in there somewhere also...

I am old enough to remember when CNN had news, MTV had music, and the Weather Channel had weather....

Anyway "LONG LIVE THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND" -- best of luck in fulfilling your mission.

-T

 

[Warren Faidley]

It will be interesting to see how the millions of images The Weather Underground accumulated over the years will be ingested by TWC. Depending on agreement the photographers submitted to when uploading images (I've never seen the agreement), a lot of photographers could get abused. I would be a little ticked if I submitted images to The Weather Underground, for what I thought was a limited use on their website, to now see them used for commercial purposes by TWC. W.

 

[Rob H]

It will be interesting to see how the millions of images The Weather Underground accumulated over the years will be ingested by TWC. Depending on agreement the photographers submitted to when uploading images (I've never seen the agreement), a lot of photographers could get abused. I would be a little ticked if I submitted images to The Weather Underground, for what I thought was a limited use on their website, to now see them used for commercial purposes by TWC. W.

I get the feeling a lot of those people would be thrilled. If you don't sell your photos or videos, there's a good chance you don't care that someone else makes money off of it - you just want the exposure.

 

[Bill Hark]

I remember Weather Underground back in the pre www days. One of the first things I accessed beyond a local bbs. Warren brings up a good point about the pictures though I suspect there would be some limitations in the agreement. If no agreement, one could threaten TWC with a lawsuit.
Bill Hark

 

[Mike Johnston]

It will be interesting to see how the millions of images The Weather Underground accumulated over the years will be ingested by TWC. Depending on agreement the photographers submitted to when uploading images (I've never seen the agreement), a lot of photographers could get abused. I would be a little ticked if I submitted images to The Weather Underground, for what I thought was a limited use on their website, to now see them used for commercial purposes by TWC. W.

The initial article referenced didn't allude to whether the acquisition was a stock purchase or an asset purchase. If it was a stock purchase, of course TWC would just "step into the shoes" of the acquired company with regard to its contracts. Even if it were an asset purchase, most commercial contracts include a "successors and assigns" clause whereby the contract rights may be easily transferred. Unless there were some very unique provisions written into TWU's agreements with photographers, etc. it would seem TWC is free to do what it wants with such material.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

I get the feeling a lot of those people would be thrilled. If you don't sell your photos or videos, there's a good chance you don't care that someone else makes money off of it - you just want the exposure.

Pretty much how I think about it. Very slim chance I will ever make money for chasing, but getting my name out there is always good. It tickles me when people tell me they saw something of mine without me asking them to see it.

 

[Warren Faidley]

I get the feeling a lot of those people would be thrilled. If you don't sell your photos or videos, there's a good chance you don't care that someone else makes money off of it - you just want the exposure.

LOL.... I'd love it if everyone on ST sent me their best shots and I could use them for free and make a ton of money!!! (I would never do that of course, but it's funny how many people think it's OK today to just "give everything away" w/o any thought of the cost to others).

W.

 

[Greg Campbell]

Don't know how long they've been in place, but the current Terms of Use are pretty gruesome. The new Pointy Haired Bosses from TWC could hardly make the situation worse.

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http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/faq/photoagreement.html

"By submitting an Image to the Photo Gallery, the Image Author grants to WUI a perpetual non-exclusive, royalty-free and irrevocable right to place that Image in the Photo Gallery and to use, reproduce, copy, publish, display, distribute, adapt, modify or otherwise exploit that Image and to incorporate that Image in other works and to sell, license or otherwise commercially utilize that Image."

And that's just the beginning...

There's no frigging way I'd give an image to these clowns.


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