Olympics organisers have taken to social media to say spectators and athletes can upload photos from this summer’s London games venues, despite guidance apparently to the contrary.
(1 of 3) Social media info: anyone attending @London2012 events is welcome to take pictures in venues…
— London 2012 (@London2012) April 26, 2012
(2 of 3) …& it’s ok to share pics from venues on social media as long as it’s not to make money. We’re keen to see & share them!…
— London 2012 (@London2012) April 26, 2012
(3 of 3) …If you want to find out more about the @Olympics and social media, have a read of this: l2012.cm/I4wSNJ
— London 2012 (@London2012) April 26, 2012
Terms on attendees’ tickets reportedly read:
“Images, video and sound recordings of the Games taken by a Ticket Holder cannot be used for any purpose other than for private and domestic purposes and a Ticket Holder may not license, broadcast or publish video and/or sound recordings, including on social networking websites and the Internet more generally.”
After headlines this week, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) is drawing attention to a clause in the International Olympic Committee’s internet guidelines, which allows:
“Participants and other accredited persons can post still photographs taken within Olympic Venues for personal use. It is not permitted to commercialise, sell or otherwise distribute these photographs.”
But each of those instructions appears stricter than the promise Locog has stepped in to give via Twitter. The first clearly prohibits posting of attendees’ photos online, and the second appears to prohibit distribution outside stadia.
It is thought Locog is hoping to correct what it sees as misreporting by establishing a liberal interpretation of photo-upload rules as prohibiting only direct sales of attendees’ pictures through services like user-centric photography wires – something which could be at odds with the duties of approved photojournalism wire agencies that will be working from the Olympics.
The IOC is also allowing participants and spectators to author first-person blogs and microblogs.
London 2012 is running an online hub aggregating athletes’ social status updates, a site curating photos of fans imitating sport stars and Twitter accounts for the London 2012 Festival and mascots Wenlock and Mandeville.
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