GeoCities Users Call Off Boycott

Registered users of Yahoo Inc.’s GeoCities Web service called off a boycott of the company after it overhauled a policy that appeared to claim rights to content that they post on their personal Web pages.

The change, the second attempt in a week to appease angry users, appeared to end a 10-day dispute stemming from Yahoo’s recent acquisition of GeoCities, where 4.6 million members have erected personal Web sites.

Previously, Yahoo had asserted “perpetual, irrevocable” rights to any content on GeoCities pages, which contain works ranging from the output of professional photographers to personal verse.

Stung by the ensuing outcry from members, Yahoo posted a much softer policy on Tuesday, saying its rights are “nonexclusive” and “solely for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting your Yahoo GeoCities site.”