Years ago, deep in the fine-print of the Skype ToU, was buried a clause in which anything you discussed via Skype granted to MS a worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, etc. license to anything mentioned. Is that still there? (Haven't used Skype in many a long year, myself.) I always wondered why that clause didn't render Skype unusable for any business or prospective business conversation.
No, that is standard language that gives a website the right to store and display content you post to it (e.g., to show your avatar on a profile page or show forum posts or chats.) Many websites use it; see this search for examples: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22any%20time%20you%20...
This is the text from Skype’s terms: “Notwithstanding any rights or obligations governed by the Additional Terms (as defined below) if, at any time you choose to upload or post User Submissions to the Skype Websites or through the Software (excluding Reports and excluding the content of your communications) you automatically grant Skype a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free, perpetual, sub-licensable and transferable license of all rights to use, edit, modify, include, incorporate, adapt, record, publicly perform, display, transmit and reproduce the User Submissions including, without limitation, all trade marks associated therewith, in connection with the Skype Websites and Skype’s Software and Products including for the purpose of promoting or redistributing part or all of the Skype Websites and/or the Software or Products, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised. You also hereby grant each user of the Skype Website and/or Skype’s Software or Products a non-exclusive license to access your User Submission through the Skype Website and/or Software or Products and to use, copy, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, perform and transmit such User Submissions solely as permitted through the functionality of the Skype Websites and/or Software or Products and pursuant to these Terms of Use. In addition, you waive any so-called “moral rights” in and to the User Submissions, to the extent permitted by applicable law.”
So, those are both necessary terms due to the US asinine idea that copying data within a system is covered by copyrights, and general enough terms that allow MS to do anything they want with any content you send through Skype.
I don't see how the GP is incorrect. But I also don't see how MS could improve anything here.
I'm sure Microsoft could survive a court challenge. That is not the same as saying getting agreement on this has no value to them.
The user was incorrect because they said, "anything you discussed via Skype granted to MS a worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, etc. license to anything mentioned" in the context of their parent comment that said, "now they will be able to listen what you talk about. Where is this going?" These terms have nothing to do with listening to your conversations and they don't grant any rights to them.
That's not to say Microsoft won't ask for such licensing in the future.
