Watch The T&Cs

Thank you for the very informative article comparing MyHeritage and TheGenealogist in the December issue. May I draw your readers’ attention to the sites’ terms and conditions? Neither one allows professional researchers to use it freely. MyHeritage prohibits this completely, while TheGenealogist requires a professional subscription to be purchased. This costs £199.95 for 12 months for the Gold databases, or £399.95 for 12 months for Diamond Professional Premium. Both are for “professional genealogists offering a service to research a full family history not simply looking up one or more names on request”.

Even non-professionals have to be careful, as “providing a lookup service will cause immediate suspension without refund. Those proven to be using our service to provide a look-up service to others will be liable to a charge of £5 per distinct name for which they have searched and £10 for each result viewed.” As searching for payment is classed as commercial, this clause includes looking on behalf of a friend or family member.

In the case of MyHeritage, the terms and conditions state that “you are hereby granted a license to use the Service and its content solely for personal use. The Service is not intended nor licensed for any commercial use.” Anne Sherman, Leaves Family History Research

EDITOR REPLIES: Have any readers been caught out by these T&Cs?