Google Chrome EULA Troubles

Quite a hubub has been stirred up by the EULA (End User License Agreement) associated with Google’s new Chrome web browser.

Here’s the troublesome part:

11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. 

I’m not sure how I feel about this particular line “…you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services…”  Many have already noted that this seems to be same EULA boilerplate that Google uses for their Google Docs line (spreadsheet, writer etc) – so this is most likely just boilerplate text that they stuck on Chrome without really thinking about it.  If this sort of thing bugs you, then you should probably hold off on using the Chrome browser for the time being.

At any rate, this whole business will most likely get clarified soon, as much press (mostly bad) that it is getting.  My gut tells me that this part will probably disappear from the EULA as the bad publicity really gets going.

I’ll keep everyone posted.

Kelley

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