Latest communication on this merger:
"We’re excited to provide more detail around the upcoming transition for current HBW Alive subscribers over to the new "Birds of the World" platform managed and maintained by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Current HBW Alive subscribers will continue enjoying the HBW Alive contents, plus many benefits on the new platform, such as a streamlined user interface and design, full integration with the reporting and listing tools of eBird, access to the rich media resources of the Macaulay Library, deep ornithological content incorporated from the revered Birds of North America and Neotropical Birds platforms, and a rapidly evolving team of ornithological experts contributing and curating new content and updates. There are many aspects to this transition, and below we provide initial details on some of the key elements. Expect a series of updates from us during the transition, informing you of our progress and the steps that should be taken, as well as further instructions for users of the MyBirding component of HBW Alive.
Timing—We expect the transition to take about a year. In the interim, the HBW Alive site will remain active and you will be able to access the site as usual. We anticipate a smooth process when the site is technically transitioned, such that end-users should not see a gap in service. We will inform users of the transition date, and track carefully any technical issues that may arise. We expect the Birds of the World site to be active sometime in early 2020.
Current Subscriptions—The Cornell Lab will honor your existing subscription terms currently held with Lynx. When your subscription term ends, you will be able to renew at a similar price.
Current subscription holders will need to create an account in the Cornell system, however, so that we can track the subscription term across the transition. Directions for doing that will follow separately.
MyBirding—
With explicit user permission, we plan to shift each user’s MyBirding data over to eBird. eBird will be closely integrated with the Birds of the World, providing many similar features currently available through MyBirding, and a whole lot more. Your birding data will join those of a global community of more than 450,000 active users, sharing information on birds and furthering bird conservation and science. Expect a separate communication detailing the transition of MyBirding information to eBird, and the steps required for that to proceed.
Internet Bird Collection—We are aware that many of you also use the Internet Bird Collection. The incorporation of that collection into the Macaulay Library will be handled separately. If you are an IBC contributor, expect to hear more from the Macaulay Library shortly about that transition plan.
We hope you share in our excitement at this time of change. We are here to provide support and ensure a smooth transition. We are certain that the level of service and scholarship provided by our resources will continue to meet and exceed your expectations."
So what to make of that then? I've highlighted three key areas for me: the IOC and Cornell's terms of use for photos is probably the biggest concern. T&C from eBird:
https://help.ebird.org/customer/en/portal/articles/2159591-ebird-media-licensing-agreement?b_id=1928 and the key paragraph:
"By submitting your audiovisual media (hereinafter the "Content") to the Cornell Lab,
you retain the copyright to this Content, and
you thereby grant to Cornell University a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free and perpetual license, in all media (print, electronic, or other), to use, distribute, sublicense (see below), reproduce, modify, adapt, and publicly display the Content for any purposes that further the research and educational mission of the Cornell Lab. These purposes may include (without limitation) scientific research, display on Cornell Lab websites such as eBird, Macaulay Library, Birds of North America Online, and Neotropical Birds, promotional uses, and inclusion in Cornell Lab multimedia content and products. We retain the right to sublicense the Content for research use, but will not sublicense the Content to any third party for commercial use without your permission. Whenever the Cornell Lab uses your media, you will be attributed."
