Facebook warning hoax: No need to claim your copyright - Site says 'we don't own your photos'

If you're like many Facebook users, you've probably noticed a friend or two posting an ominous legalese-laden copyright claim as a status message on their profile.

The copy-and-paste messages, which seek to lay personal copyright claim over the offending user's photos and comments, are clogging news feeds to the point that Facebook has actually commented on the situation.
 
A spokesman for Facebook issued the following statement:

"We have noticed some statements that suggest otherwise and we wanted to take a moment to remind you of the facts -- when you post things like photos to Facebook, we do not own them. Under our terms, you grant Facebook permission to use, distribute, and share the things you post, subject to the terms and applicable privacy settings." 

A similar status message to the one currently making the rounds has reared its ugly head more than once in the past. A good rule of thumb is, if it feels like a chain mail message, you might want to do a little investigating before posting.

And for the record, there is no such thing as "the Berner Convention."