Suggestion, maybe.

[sleepydoc]

Forgive me if this has been asked and answered, but I can't quite find it.

There are certain articles that I write using my expertise as an M.D. I would be happy and proud to put my name on the article and some customers might like to have that byline (in my past experience). If I did this, I could offer unique license and my byline could not be removed. But, if a customer bought full rights and my name is on it, they can choose to leave the byline, but change the article. This, to me, is dangerous and I would think should be some kind of fraud. If they slipped a product endorsement in there, it looks as if I'm endorsing the product (as just one example). I can lose my license over such things.

Would it be possible to have a check box or something to have customers agree to remove the byline if they buy full rights and change the article in any way? I would like to not be limited to offering only unique licenses with the byline. If someone wanted to change my article, I have no problem with that either and would still like the option to sell full rights. I'd just want my name off of it before anything was changed.

Is there any way around this? Or, is it possible there might be some kind of agreement that could make this possible? I'm sure experts in other fields - law, IT, education, whatever, might feel similarly.

[jellygator]

My understanding is that if they change it, they're supposed to remove your byline. However, I don't know that there is any reliable method to ensure this, other than perhaps not including a byline. That presents its own challenges if you sell usage and want to resell.

[sleepydoc]

Hmm... That might solve the problem if
1) it is true that the byline should be removed when an article is changed and
2) the customer actually does this.

Could we get clarification from staff? I will send a message to them, as well.

Thanks.

[jellygator]

You can find that information on http://www.constant-content.com/about/h ... m-work.htm

I can understand why you would have serious concerns. I imagine that you can protect yourself by maintaining a private copy of the file sold, and a record that it was sold for full rights, should it be edited without removal of your byline.

[sleepydoc]

Thank you Jellygator, that's exactly what I was wondering.

It does make it sound like more of a suggestion "should remove byline", rather than a requirement, so no bylines for me. Too bad, as that would be a great way to get exposure -- get your name out there -- for a lot of people.

CC- Is there anyway to include a checkbox or something that makes removing the byline a condition of full rights? It seems like it would protect everyone from having something ascribed to their name that they do not want.

Thanks!

[Lysis]

If you don't want your byline, don't put it in. If you do, they can remove it if it's full rights. Otherwise, they aren't supposed to remove, although I'm sure some people do.

[Tianna]

If you're worried about your byline then I just wouldn't include it. As far as looking for a way to get your name out there, I would suggest using sites like hubpages, ezine, associated content, etc. Most of these do revenue sharing so you have a chance to make a little cash, and you can get out there for people to see.

[sleepydoc]

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. It seemed safest to not include a byline but I just wondered what the 'rules' were regarding this matter.

After being directed to the current guidelines and receiving an email reply from CC, it seems that removing the byline on a full rights license is a suggestion and not a requirement. If it is not required for customers to remove the byline and I'm worried about it, I will not include it. It's really nice to have helpful forum members and responsive staff so thanks again everyone. Happy writing!

[Tianna]

This place is full of nice and helpful people I'm not use to such friendly forums for work-related issues lol