New Terms of Use...Do I understand this correctly???

Discussion Forums General Zazzle Discussion
1

I cut this section out of the terms of agreement effective 4/1/25. This sounds like it’s saying that if you use their hashtags in any way, they can do whatever they want with your product. They basically own your designs! I am wide open to being wrong in my interpretation. Does this also apply to the use of these hashtags before 4/1/24?

“In addition to the rights you grant to Zazzle in this User Agreement and in the Creator License Agreement you agree that your use of any variation of the hashtag(s) #MakeZamazing, #ZazzleShowandTell and/or #ZazzleMade in your social media post(s) grants Zazzle the right and license to use that social media post and its contents in any of Zazzle’s social media channels, on the Site, and on affiliate channels.”

“For good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which you hereby acknowledge, by uploading, posting, e-mailing or otherwise marking Tagged Media for use by Zazzle, its social media account(s) and/or the Site, you grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to Zazzle an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, telecast, copy, perform, display, reproduce, edit, distribute, copy, change, modify, add to, subtract from and otherwise exploit the Tagged Media, or any portion thereof, in any manner (including without limitation promotional and advertising purposes) and in any media now known or hereafter devised, and to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such Tagged Media, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing without any compensation to you or to any third party.”

2

As far as I can tell, you own your designs. However, if you create a social media post with the hashtags detailed in their terms and conditions, they have the right to use whatever graphic (and probably video) you  shared in that post in whatever way they want — and you will receive no compensation.

So, it’s up to you to decide if that’s OK or not. The big question is this: if Zazzle uses social media posts that include those specific hashtags, will they also include the name and link to your shop? If so, you might benefit from that promotion. If they don’t include a link to your shop, then my answer would be no.

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3

Thank you! Yes, I always use a link with referral ID on my posts. I guess I’m a bit leery as I have never seen any evidence that what I’ve tagged has benefited me. No knowledge of what they do with it or what safeguards they use is a bit unsettling.

But, I understand what you are saying. It’s my choice. I just wish I could understand it better so that I could feel like I’m truly making an informed choice.

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4

It’s better to promote your own products without the referral ID, so you have a chance of getting 35%-50% on self-referrals, rather than losing at least that much from a 3rd party sale.

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5

That particular section isn’t saying anything about using your PRODUCT itself in any way (and certainly not your designs). They are saying they can use your SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS in any way without compensation. It’s your choice, but I’ll take all the promotion I can get, LOL! Although of course once Zazzle gets hold of your posts for their own marketing efforts, you’ll only get a 3rd party sale, and lose up to half of your royalty with the marketing fee.

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6

It sounds scary, but it’s just legal boilerplate that allows them to do innocent things like make thumbnails (which means they resize your post and in effect create a derivative work) and repost your post to their own socials… 

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7

If Zazzle likes your product, even without tagging or finding your product design on social media, they will use it where ever they’d like. I know for my own experience a blanket design was used for their purchased product materials. I only know this because I purchased something and included in the packaging was a post card with a picture of my blanket with my design except they had changed the personalized name to something else.

This kind of thing happens all the time. Pillows used in promotions with a different placeholder photo… that kind of thing.

That clause, or those actions, has been used by Z for as long as I can remember. All this is nothing new.

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8

I checked out the use of #MakeZamazing, #ZazzleShowandTell and also #ZazzleMade. It appears that Zazzle abandoned use of all but the latter at some distant point in the past. Does anyone else see any evidence of recent usage of #MakeZamazing, #ZazzleShowandTell on any social? 

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9

Windy, thanks for the plug for Postcrossing! I’m going to try it.

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10

Good to know! This section was not in the former Terms of Agreement, that’s why it raised a red flag for me.

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11

It’s a super fun hobby! Today I will be sending a postcard to Finland!

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12

@wendy Do you get to converse back and forth?

13

You can do that, yes. You do have the opportunity to thank the sender via the website (and indeed most do so, as this is part of procedure of registering that you got the card). There is also a forum, in which people request direct swaps…and there might be the best place to find more long term “penpals”.

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14

I figure what I don’t know is better than what I do at times. I thought about asking Zazzle about a message I just got, but would rather not even know. On messenger, a lady asked if they could have a free copy of my design to use for their mental health program in Australia (since they don’t have money to buy anything). I sort of wondered if they don’t have a couple dollars to go to lunch at work, etc., but explained nicely and honestly that I communicate with the artists for permission and to not share, etc., and I paid $36.00 license fee for that image (and the artists as you know still hold the copyright), so I suggested maybe they could buy one card and … ANYWAY, a few weeks later, she replied that she got my design free. I know the artist didn’t give it to her free, so did Zazzle? I don’t even want to know … 🤔