The key to this was a provision giving BP not only a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to an invention, but a 90-day option for an exclusive, royalty-bearing license in the energy field.
It's true that you "retain your rights" to anything posted on Twitter; but it's also true that the "worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty free licence" gives the company almost infinite leeway to do what they want with your content, regardless of the rights.
During this 90-day period, BP may choose to obtain either a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to IP rights or an exclusive license.
Owner of posted materials grants Stanford a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to reproduce and distribute any content posted on the Websites.
A non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to republish the Design in electronic format and hard copy for purposes connected with the Competition.
Owner of posted materials grants Stanford a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to reproduce and distribute any messages and postings made within the mailing lists, discussion forums, or any other service of the Websites.
Non-exclusive, royalty-free licenses are most commonly granted when the inventions may provide an incremental improvement to existing technology, or when early and widespread dissemination of the discovery is a goal.
That social network also requires "a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense)", for instance, but doesn't maintain that the right should be "irrevocable [and] perpetual", as Oculus does.
But by using the app the company is granted a "worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such Content in any and all media or distribution methods (now known or later developed)".
On Friday, Judge Matthew A. Sciarrino Jr. rejected Mr. Stolar's argument, writing that Mr. Harris lacked the standing to oppose the subpoena because Twitter's policies required that he agree to grant the company a "worldwide, non-exclusive royalty-free" right to distribute messages, which are publicly viewable.
