Hatrack River Writers Workshop: StumbleUpon Contest

This is topic StumbleUpon Contest in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by Rhaythe (Member # 7857) on :

For those interested, this website is offering a discovery contest with the promise of a good-faith attempt at pitching the winner's work to the appropriate medium (script-writers for winning scripts, agents for winning novels, etc):

http://www.stumbleupon.com/blog/get-the-greenlight-in-stumbleupons-get-discovered-writing-contest/

One thing to be weary of, however, is this line in the fine print:

quote:
By submitting an Entry, entrant hereby grants Sponsor and its successors and assigns an irrevocable, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, copy, transmit or otherwise distribute, modify the Work and publicly perform and display the Work or any portion thereof, within the StumbleUpon Services.

But if you're interested, there you go.

Posted by pdblake (Member # 9218) on :

Can't see an agent going for something that can be plastered all over Stumpleupon services at will. Pointless prize?

Posted by Rhaythe (Member # 7857) on :

Possibly. I saw that line and discounted it, but eh. Never know. If you have a piece that you're not afraid of losing, might be worthwhile.

Posted by JenniferHicks (Member # 8201) on :

So basically if you enter (not even win, but just enter) you're giving the rights to your story to StumbleUpon forever for no monetary compensation. And they can modify (i.e. rewrite) your story however they want to and leave your name at the top. That is one of the absolute worst deals I have ever seen. No thank you.

Posted by Shaygirl (Member # 9761) on :

We thank people like Rhaythe who actually reads the fine print.

~Shay

Posted by JoBird (Member # 9883) on :

quote:
Originally posted by JenniferHicks:
So basically if you enter (not even win, but just enter) you're giving the rights to your story to StumbleUpon forever for no monetary compensation. And they can modify (i.e. rewrite) your story however they want to and leave your name at the top. That is one of the absolute worst deals I have ever seen. No thank you.

Agreed.

This feels very much like a scam.

Posted by Rhaythe (Member # 7857) on :

They only ask for the first twenty pages. But wow, when Jennifer puts it like that... given that legalese, that's not an impossible situation.

Posted by MAP (Member # 8631) on :

Am I understanding this correctly? You sign away all your rights to whatever you submit, and all you might win is a phone call from someone who may or may not be in the industry telling you your story has block buster potential? You don't get a publishing contract or an agent, just a phone call.

Wow. This does sound like a scam.

Posted by Crank (Member # 7354) on :

I've already scheduled an intensive reorganization of my sock drawer for that day. [Big Grin]

This deal smells just like my socks do after street hockey. Pass.

S!

Posted by JenniferHicks (Member # 8201) on :

I also notice that they can distribute, publicly perform or display your work any way they want. I'm pretty sure that means if you have a fantastic idea, they can rewrite it as a screenplay and sell the movie rights, and you don't get squat.

If you're not already reading it, I recommend Kristine Kathryn Rusch's weekly blog about the publishing business (The Business Rusch). She hits hard on bad contracts and what to avoid. She would have a field day with this one.

Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :

Just run away, very, very fast.

Posted by extrinsic (Member # 8019) on :

While I suspect the clause is intended for in-the-event-of contingencies, a wiggle clause to cover their backsides, more and more of these type of businesses are reserving the right to ownership of any intellectual property that comes their way.

While the intentions may be ethical and honest, the potential for a savvy entrepreneur to grab up a few of these businesses and take advantage of the rights ownership clause is great.

I think it's a clause written by a layperson and certainly not by an intellectual property lawyer. The purpose of the clause within intellectual property law being, in the unlikely event they find something worth representing, their developmental editing property rights will be reserved in the form of ghost writing copyrights (work for hire). Until they get paid and then release their rights.