Deliveroo, a UK-based food delivery company of a similar caliber to Postmates and UberEats, is targeting users to use the hashtag #yesDeliveroo as a means of gaining the rights to use peoples photos for their commercial gain. The contract that the copyright owner commits to by using the hashtag sees them surrender their image(s) to Deliveroo “for any purpose” and “royalty free,” and by doing so, they “have no right to withdraw at any time.”

This is not the first time we’ve encountered such a policy in recent weeks. It echoes the agreement that the Hilton-owned Conrad New York Midtown hotel was caught using as they tried to coax a photographer into signing his image rights away with a hashtag of their own. It signals a disturbing trend among large corporations who seemingly try to reduce marketing costs by simply thieving the photographs of others using the most accessible platform they know how – social media.

When the terms and conditions of this binding contract state that the laws extend to any content that is “photos, text, videos, graphics, audio, social media handles, social media user names, captions, comments or location,” one can’t help but be concerned at just how much of our work and livelihoods these corporations are looking to store and use.

It's just been pointed out on our industry website about the ALL RIGHTS license you grant @Deliveroo if you publish on social media an image with a #Deliveroo hashtag #NoDeliveroo #CopyrightTheft #PhotographersUnited #AOP https://t.co/wZa5g5IBVz — Iain Philpott (@IainPhilpott) February 11, 2020

You grant us (Roofoods Limited), our group companies, affiliates and related entities the following rights for any purpose (including for commercial, marketing/advertising and business purposes), in any media and on any medium whatsoever (including but not limited to any printed media, static advertising of any kind, radio, television, Internet, cellular phone, or of any other kind), including uses not yet identified: a royalty-free, fully paid, non-exclusive, transferable, perpetual, irrevocable, assignable, sub-licensable worldwide licence to use (including without limitation reproducing, broadcasting, combining, editing transmitting, displaying, developing, disseminating (each a Use)) your Contributions. Any work created, based on and/or derived from Using the Contributions is known as Derivative Works; and the right to Use your identifying information (including but not limited to your real name, image/likeness, and location (Identifying Information)) provided with your Contributions.”

Are you careful with which hashtags you use? And do platforms such as Instagram have a responsibility to police these kinds of instant policies?

Lead image: Pixabay via Pexels.