The provided text is a standard legal submission agreement for Victory Media Marketing LLC, the parent company of news outlets like DailyTrib.com and KBEYfm.com. It is important to note that while the title of your request references a legal case involving a former Bertram mayor, the actual text provided is a Terms and Conditions contract governing how users share news tips and media with these publications. Below is a humanized summary of that agreement, broken into six paragraphs, translated into plain, relatable English.
The foundational purpose of this agreement is to create a clear set of “ground rules” for anyone choosing to send news tips, photos, or videos to Victory Media’s digital platforms. When you use their “See it, Share it” portal to contribute content, you are essentially entering into a formal contract that grants the company a wide range of permissions. By clicking submit, you aren’t just sending an email; you are giving these news organizations a worldwide, permanent, and royalty-free pass to use your material in any way they see fit across their websites, apps, and social media channels.
While you technically retain the copyright to the content you create, this agreement significantly limits what that ownership means in practice. By granting the company a “perpetual and irrevocable” license, you are allowing them to edit, reformat, translate, or even combine your work with other media for their own journalistic or commercial purposes. They also reserve the right to share your submission with their partners or syndicates, meaning your original contribution—whether it’s a photo of a community event or a video of a breaking news story—could end up being distributed far beyond the initial platform where you posted it.
The agreement also places a heavy burden of responsibility on you as the contributor. You must guarantee that you are an adult, that the content is your own original work, and—crucially—that you have secured all necessary permissions from anyone whose face or property appears in your media. You are essentially promising the company that your submission won’t lead to lawsuits regarding defamation, privacy violations, or copyright infringement. By agreeing, you are stepping into a legal safety net where you act as the primary guarantor of the content’s legality and authenticity.
Perhaps the most important practical takeaway for a user is the “no compensation” clause. Despite the company being allowed to use your work for commercial or promotional purposes, you are not entitled to any payment or royalties. This is an arrangement built on the spirit of community journalism and voluntary sharing. When you engage with these platforms, you should view your contribution as a public service or a way to get news out, rather than an opportunity for financial gain, as the company explicitly waives any obligation to pay you for the rights they are granted.
The document also provides the company with significant legal protections. You are agreeing to “indemnify” them, which is legalese for saying that if someone decides to sue the news outlet because of something you submitted, you are the one responsible for the legal costs and damages. Furthermore, you relinquish any “moral rights” to the content, meaning you cannot later demand that they take it down or give you specific credit if they decide to modify it. The company retains total control over the editorial process, including the right to delete, edit, or simply decline to publish your submission at their own discretion.
Finally, the agreement establishes that these interactions are governed by Texas law, meaning that if a legal dispute were to arise that somehow escaped the arbitration of the contract, you would be required to travel to Burnet County, Texas, to defend your case in court. By checking the box and hitting submit, you are confirming that you have read and understood these heavy-handed legal protections. It is a one-sided document designed to streamline the flow of user-generated content while securing the media company from potential liability, ensuring that they can report the news without worrying about the legal consequences of the materials submitted by the public.