1. Hello
These are the 麻豆社鈥檚 terms of use. They tell you:
- The rules for using our services
- What you can do with our content (share it, link to it, that sort of thing)
- What we can do with things you post or upload.
Your rights and responsibilities, basically 鈥� important stuff.
We鈥檝e kept them as short as possible, and we鈥檝e made videos for the complicated bits. So do read them, and check in for updates as the latest version always applies (we鈥檒l usually only make updates when we release a new service, change how we provide a service, or have to comply with a new legal requirement).
2. When these terms apply
Read these terms before using our services. Whenever you use our services you agree to these terms.
If you don鈥檛 stick to all these terms then we can suspend or terminate your use of services and your account.
But first鈥�
3. What鈥檚 this about "services" and "content"?
That鈥檚 media speak for:
a. Services
Anything digital offered by the 麻豆社. Such as:
- Websites (like , )
- Apps (like 麻豆社 Sport, 麻豆社 News)
- Podcasts
- Content available through RSS feeds
- Red Button
b. Content
Anything that鈥檚 available through those services. Including:
- TV and radio shows
- Text
- Audio
- Video
- Images
- Games
- Software
- Technical stuff such as metadata and open-source code
- Anything made by people using our services. User-generated content, that鈥檚 called.
4. When other terms apply
a. When you use services provided by 麻豆社 Studios or someone else
When you use someone else's services or products, like a social media platform, they will have terms for using them.
Some services are provided by 麻豆社 Studios. These will have their own terms.
b. When you use services where we tell you they apply
Like when you enter a competition. If there are extra terms, we鈥檒l always let you know.
5. Child-friendly services and tools
If you鈥檙e looking for something child-friendly, here are some good starting points:
Ultimately, it鈥檚 up to you to decide what鈥檚 suitable. But here are some tools that may help:
- To stop children accessing Guidance-labelled content, use the .
- To teach children about staying safe online, try .
- For advice on how to keep your children safe online visit . On that site is how-to advice to for your devices, gaming consoles, broadband access and entertainment platforms around your home.
6. When you need a TV Licence
You need to be covered by a TV Licence to watch or record live TV programmes on any channel, or to watch or download 麻豆社 programmes on iPlayer when you鈥檙e in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
This could be on any device, including a TV, desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet, games console, digital box or DVD/VHS recorder.
If you鈥檙e outside these areas you need to check if your country has its own TV licensing scheme.
Find out more about .
7. Terms for using our services and content
A few rules to stop you (and us) getting in trouble.
These apply to our services and content. One exception is content that鈥檚 made to be shared 鈥� 鈥渟hareables鈥� for short 鈥� which has some different, more relaxed rules. The rules about shareables are here.
a. Don鈥檛 mess with our services
What do we mean by that? This sort of thing:
- Hacking them
- Trying to get around our content security technology (software that stops people copying our content)
- Accessing content from outside the UK that you aren鈥檛 allowed to, or helping others do the same. For example: using a VPN service so you can watch 麻豆社 iPlayer when you're outside the UK
- Refusing to remove content, games or apps from your device when we ask you to. This might happen when we take down services. Which we can do at any time, without notice.
b. Don鈥檛 harm or offend other people...
...while using our services or content. That means:
- Don鈥檛 damage our reputation by associating us with sexism or racism, for instance
- Don鈥檛 get us sued 鈥� by defaming (damaging the reputation of) someone, say, or commenting on an active lawsuit
- Don鈥檛 harass or upset people
- Don鈥檛 post or upload anything offensive or obscene
- If you disagree with someone, attack the argument, not the person.
c. Play it safe
Be aware of your surroundings especially when you鈥檙e using our services or content on the move and always use your device safely.
Don鈥檛 use our 360掳 and virtual reality apps if you:
- Are pregnant
- Have consumed anything that may affect your balance
- Have (or have had) a medical condition, like binocular vision abnormalities, psychiatric disorders, seizures or a heart problem.
Make sure you鈥檙e in a safe place, preferably seated.
Stop immediately if you feel:
- Sick
- Eye strain
- Dizziness
- Any discomfort.
Don鈥檛 take part in any activities where you need to focus straight after, or if you feel slightly dazed or confused.
d. Don鈥檛 pretend to be the 麻豆社
Except at fancy dress parties. That includes:
- Recreating a service or copying the look of a service
- Using our brands, trade marks or logos without our permission
- Using or mentioning our content in press releases and other marketing bumph
- Making money from our content or services. You can鈥檛 charge people to watch our shows, for example
- Sharing our content. Apart from shareables.
8. Using 麻豆社 content
a. When you need permission
To use any of the following things鈥�
- Whole shows
- Clips
- Photos
- Content from bbc.co.uk
- Our logo and other branding
- Metadata
- Anything plucked from our services to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis
- Anything else that鈥檚 protected by copyright.
鈥ou鈥檒l need to get permission.
We don鈥檛 always own the copyright.
Our content often includes other people鈥檚 content, you see. For instance, a TV show might feature images, video and music that belong to artists, actors and musicians.
Or we only have a licence to broadcast a show, and it鈥檚 the production company who owns it.
So you鈥檒l have to ask them if you can use it. Except under certain circumstances鈥�
b. When you already have permission
- If you鈥檙e at a school, college or university that鈥檚 got an Educational Recording Agency licence.
- Read about the .
- Read about other copyright exceptions here.
- For shareables. The rules about shareables are here.
- For and open data.
- To for personal use using our download button. You can download podcasts for personal use. You can also transfer podcasts between your devices. But don鈥檛 upload a podcast back to the internet from your device. Use the sharing buttons instead to tell your friends about it.
- To download using our download button.
c. How to get permission
For metadata and RSS feeds, read this.
For business use, read this. Bear in mind: you normally need to ask permission and there may be a fee to pay.
For everything else, read this.
9. Shareables - what they are
Content that鈥檚 shareable will have one or more of these buttons next to it:
- Share
- Embed
- Social media buttons for posting to Facebook, Twitter and so on.
We don鈥檛 always own the copyright for shareables. Sometimes we have to get a licence or permission from the people who made it.
So stick to these rules. Otherwise, among other things, the people who made it won鈥檛 want to make content for us again.
You鈥檒l need to get our permission first for any business use, and you might have to pay a fee. For business use read this.
When you share to a social media platform their terms will apply. Do read their terms (which you can search for online).
10. Shareables - what you can do
a. Use sharing buttons
To share a link to our content on your website or social media.
b. Use our player
It鈥檚 fine to use our embed button to put our player on your website or social media account.
But don鈥檛 change how the player works, and don鈥檛 take content out of it. Don鈥檛 embed any content that doesn鈥檛 have an embed button.
Different rules apply for using iPlayer. Read about them here.
c. Post comments and views...
鈥� about our shareables. That鈥檚 fine. Encouraged, even. Just as long as they鈥檙e not evil.
11. Shareables - what you can't do
a. Don鈥檛 use them to harm or offend. And don't put shareables with harmful or offensive stuff.
Here鈥檚 a list of things that may harm or offend:
- Insulting, misleading, discriminating or defaming (damaging people鈥檚 reputations)
- Promoting pornography, tobacco or weapons
- Putting children at risk
- Anything illegal. Like using hate speech, inciting terrorism or breaking privacy law
- Anything that would harm the 麻豆社鈥檚 reputation.
b. Don鈥檛 make it look like they cost money
You can't charge others for using our shareables. If you put them on a site that charges for content, you have to say they鈥檙e free-to-view.
c. Don鈥檛 make them more prominent than non-麻豆社 content
Otherwise it might look like we鈥檙e endorsing you. Which we鈥檙e not allowed to do.
Also, use shareables alongside other stuff. You can鈥檛 make a service of your own that contains only our shareables.
Speaking of which鈥�
d. Don鈥檛 exaggerate your relationship with the 麻豆社
You can鈥檛 say we endorse, promote, supply or approve of you.
Don鈥檛 use shareables for political purposes.
And you can鈥檛 say you have exclusive access to our content.
e. Don鈥檛 associate them with advertising or sponsorship
That means you can鈥檛:
- Put any other content between the link to the shareable and the shareable itself. So no ads or short videos people have to sit through
- Put ads next to or over them
- Put any ads in a web page or app that contain mostly shareables
- Put ads related to their subject alongside shareables. So no trainer ads with a shareable about shoes
- Add extra content that means you鈥檇 earn money from them.
f. Don鈥檛 be misleading about where they came from
You can鈥檛 remove or alter the copyright notice, or imply that someone else made them.
12. Shareables - what you have to do
- Use the latest version and, where we have it, don鈥檛 remove any tagging or tracking.
- Make sure it鈥檚 displayed accurately.
- Add a credit (if it doesn鈥檛 already have one).
Most come with credits included. If not, put one of these in a prominent place nearby to show where you got the shareable from:
- Source 鈥�
- 鈥� 漏 copyright [the year goes here] 麻豆社
If possible, add a hyperlink to the shareable鈥檚 original location. Make sure it works, and don鈥檛 put anything between the credit and the link.
13. Shareables - a thing we have to say
Apart from what we鈥檙e responsible for when there鈥檚 a mishap, we鈥檙e not liable for anything that happens to you if you use a shareable.
14. Open-source software
Some open-source software is available as downloads.
Find out more on our .
When you access it, we鈥檒l always let you know what terms apply.
15. Metadata and RSS feeds
a. For people
You鈥檙e not allowed to pluck metadata from our content or RSS feeds.
You can add the 麻豆社 News RSS feed to your website or social media account. Provided:
- You don't change the RSS feed or remove any of our branding or logos
- You credit us by saying it's from , or putting the text and hyperlink in a prominent place nearby
- You don't add our branding, logos and so on, except for any branding that's already embedded in the RSS feed.
Read about how to set up a 麻豆社 News RSS feed here.
b. For business
You鈥檒l need a licence to use our metadata (such as images, text, media and the links to them). Apply for a metadata licence.
For you'll need to get our permission, and there may be a fee to pay.
16. Creations - what they are
This part is about when you create your own content by:
- Uploading something of yours to one of our services 鈥� like uploading to comment boards and forums
- Uploading your clip or photo of a breaking story to 麻豆社 News
- Using a service to make something and then uploading it to the 麻豆社.
We call these somethings 鈥渃reations鈥�.
Things you enter into competitions (like drawings) don鈥檛 count as creations for these terms. Competitions have their own terms.
17. Creations - the terms
a. There might be tinkering
Some services have tools that let other people use, reproduce, modify or edit your creation, or make things inspired by it.
b. We won't pay you for it
We appreciate you sharing your creation with us but sadly we can鈥檛 pay you.
c. There might be other terms
Sometimes uploading a creation to our services means using a tool provided by someone other than the 麻豆社. For example you can use WhatsApp to share your stories and eyewitness accounts with 麻豆社 News.
Sometimes the provider鈥檚 terms and conditions apply to using their tool. Do read their terms (which you can search for online) as they tell you what the provider can do with your creation when you use their tool.
d. Personal Information
We (or the provider we use so you can upload your creation) will not share the personal information you provide to us without letting you know first. Read more on how we use your personal data in our privacy policy.
e. We hope to use your creation
But we can't guarantee it.
f. Your name
We usually show your name alongside your creation. We鈥檒l try to remove it if you ask us to, but this isn鈥檛 always possible.
g. Moral rights
When you upload a creation, you give up your moral rights to it. That means we can:
- Use your creation without identifying you as the creator
- Edit or change your creation and you won鈥檛 be able to say we鈥檝e treated it in a 鈥渄erogatory鈥� way.
.
h. We might contact you
To check if you鈥檝e got permission to use any music, images, clips or text in your creation. Or just for administrative purposes.
Read more about how and when we might contact you in our privacy and cookies policy.
18. Creations - what you can do with them
a. When you own the copyright
You own the copyright if your creation is completely new and original. Which usually means it doesn鈥檛 feature anyone else鈥檚 content, such as videos and music.
If so, you can do whatever you like with it.
.
Read more about copyright in general here.
You can share your creations with some of our services, like message boards, forums, pin boards, and in the comments at the bottom of some news stories.
b. When you don't own the copyright
If your creation contains content 鈥� like images, sounds, music or video 鈥� made by someone else, the copyright for that content may belong to them.
Which usually means you鈥檒l have to get their permission to do anything with your creation. That includes posting, submitting or uploading it to the 麻豆社.
.
Read more about copyright in general here.
Once you鈥檝e got permission, you can share your creation with the public. On your website, for instance, or on social media.
19. Creations - what the 麻豆社 can do with them
When you share your creation with us, we try to tell you exactly what we鈥檙e going to do with it. But that鈥檚 not always possible, so here鈥檚 what might happen鈥�
When you post, upload or contribute a creation, we can:
a. Use, host or store it in 麻豆社 services and content
So you might see your creation on TV, on 麻豆社 Online, social media or on other sites who have our permission to feature some of our content.
b. Copy, change or translate it, or make things inspired by it
We will only edit your news related content where necessary. Read about how we use your news related comments and creations here.
c. Use it with our tools for making creations or remixing content
Some of our services feature tools for playing around with our content, writing your own code, and making things like games and visualisations.
These might:
- Put your creations on display to inspire other people,
- Invite others to use your creation to make their own creation.
d. Share it to do research
We do research activities and sometimes collaborate with research partners. Every now and then we share our content and data with them. But we're careful about what we share and what our research partners can do with it.
e. Moderate it
Which means we can review, edit, remove or decide not to display it. And, if it breaks any laws, we can refer it to the police and other authorities.
f. And we can use it
- Anywhere in the world
- In any medium (for example TV, the internet, radio, social media and apps)
- For as long as we want 鈥� even if you stop using our services.
And anyone we work with can do those things too.
For example, if you send an image to 麻豆社 News, we could share a news item featuring that image with a foreign broadcaster, who鈥檇 then be able to do all the things above.
They could also charge their users to see it.
20. Creations - what you can't send us
Don鈥檛 send us anything that:
a. Was made by someone else, or that copies someone else's creation
b. Isn't in English (unless we've asked you to comment in another language)
c. Is illegal or defamatory (damaging to someone else鈥檚 reputation)
d. Is inappropriate (offensive, off-topic, disruptive or spreads false information)
e. Contains personal details
f. Contains spam (unless you're commenting on a story about reconstituted meat)
g. Breaks our election or referendum rules.
h. Puts children or others at risk
i. Infringes anyone鈥檚 rights (that includes privacy rights)
j. You鈥檝e made as part of your job or for your business
k. Promotes a business
l. Identifies someone (unless you have their consent or, if they鈥檙e under 16, the consent of their parent or guardian)
m. Disrespects the rules or orders of a court (in contempt of court)
n. Contains links to content that can't be seen easily, may be unsafe (viruses, worms, spyware and Trojans) or automatically launches lots of windows
o. Doesn鈥檛 comply with these terms.
21. Your 麻豆社 Account
a. Registering for an account
You need an account to use some of our services, like 麻豆社 iPlayer, personal recommendations and notifications.
b. Get your 麻豆社 account
Get your .
To keep your account safe, don鈥檛:
- Tell anyone your username or password
- Give us false information
- Try to log in as someone else
- Try to bypass our security measures
- Create more than one account
- Create an account for someone else, except for your child.
And be sure to keep your details up-to-date.
c. What we do with your information
The data you send us when you register, fill in web forms or use our services helps us to:
- Provide you with services, recommendations, notifications and other features
- Improve our existing services and come up with new ones.
Read more on how we use your personal data in our privacy and cookies policy.
d. Changing settings and deleting your account
Find out how to tinker with or delete your account here.
e. Changing settings on your device
This can stop some of our services from working properly.
Find out more about changing your settings here.
22. Mishaps
We take great care to make our content and services the best they can be. So if something does go wrong, we are responsible only:
a. If our services or content damage your device or anything on it. Should this happen, you might be able to ask for compensation under consumer protection law.
Compensation isn鈥檛 guaranteed, though. Be sure to get legal advice.
b. For certain unlikely events. If our negligence causes death or injury, for example.
c. If you鈥檙e an individual 鈥渃onsumer鈥� and it would be unfair for us to not be held responsible.
Otherwise, we鈥檙e not liable for anything that happens if:
- You rely on advice, data, commentary, opinions or any other content
- There are errors, omissions, interruptions, delays, bugs or viruses
- We turn off or remove content, services, external links or creations (we鈥檇 normally only do this when we moderate, for legal reasons, or if we鈥檙e improving a service)
- The thing that happens couldn鈥檛 reasonably have been foreseen
- The thing that happens wouldn鈥檛 usually result from the mishap
- You and we hadn鈥檛 agreed that this thing would probably happen in the event of a mishap.
This applies to sites we link to as well as our content and services.
Speaking of which鈥�
23. External links
We sometimes link to non-麻豆社 sites. And we sometimes put our services on them 鈥� when you connect with us on social media, for example.
A few things to bear in mind:
a. We don鈥檛 endorse the sites we link to.
b. We鈥檙e not responsible for their content or liable for anything that happens to you if you use them.
c. If you or anyone else shares something containing a link, we鈥檙e not responsible for anything on the site it links to.
d. External sites usually have their own terms of use.
24. 麻豆社 iPlayer
a. The rules for personal use
- iPlayer programmes are only available for a certain period of time, after which they鈥檙e automatically deleted. Don鈥檛 try to use technical trickery to get around this. Read more about iPlayer鈥檚 use-by dates here.
- Don鈥檛 stream or download iPlayer TV shows when you鈥檙e outside the UK. Radio shows are usually fine, though. Read more about using iPlayer outside the UK here.
- Don鈥檛 use iPlayer to make money. That means no ads or sponsorship, and no charging people to watch it.
- You need a TV Licence to download or watch 麻豆社 programmes on iPlayer. Find out more at .
b. The rules for business
You can offer access to iPlayer on your premises for watching or downloading 麻豆社 programmes. But:
- You鈥檒l need a TV Licence. For more on that, visit .
- Using iPlayer to play a whole show or a clip to an audience is a different story. Find out more about playing iPlayer to an audience here.
- You鈥檙e not allowed to charge people to use iPlayer.
25. Final stuff
A quick recap, a few extra legal bits and we鈥檙e done:
a. If you use a service on behalf of a business, that business agrees to these terms. So your business has to stick to these terms if you use a service...
- substantially to do your job 鈥� as an employee, contractor or consultant
- for commercial purposes 鈥� to make a profit or
- for educational, non-profit, charitable or government uses.
b. As we said earlier, read these terms before using our services. When you use our services and content, you鈥檙e agreeing to:
- These terms of use
- Any other terms we鈥檝e let you know about.
And those things replace all previous agreements between you and us about using our services or content.
c. This is a contract between you and us. No one else has any rights to enforce its terms.
d. English law governs these terms, and only English courts can make judgments about them.
e. Our services and content are made available to you by the British Broadcasting Corporation, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, W1A 1AA.