Fellow Internet users and 2oceansvibers, we are sure you are not at fault here, being the bastion of modern communication etiquette you are. You may, however, know someone who is at fault; we would love you to forward this on to them.

Every so often the powers that be over at Facebook Incorporated change their privacy settings, design, or some such thing. The response from users is an eruption of facile moaning and groaning akin to a 13-year-old rich kid not getting an iPhone 5 for Christmas.

Then come the soft-headed little munchkins who believe posting a silly statement written in legalese will do anything other than indicate to the world the termite-brained, gullible, dim-witted souls that they are.

Here is the latest one:

In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention).

For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!

(Anyone reading this can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook Wall. This will place them under protection of copyright laws, By the present communiqué, I notify Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and/or its contents. The aforementioned prohibited actions also apply to employees, students, agents and/or any staff under Facebook’s direction or control. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of my privacy is punished by law (UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103 and the Rome Statute).

Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, you may copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be tacitly allowing the use of elements such as your photos as well as the information contained in your profile status updates.

While they may feel like they have pulled a Denny Crane maneuver on Facebook it is, of course, all poppycock.

As the veritable folks over at Snopes – those busters of Internet misinformation and factual tomfoolery – point out:

If you do not agree with Facebook’s stated policies, you have several options:

• Decline to sign up for a Facebook account
• Bilaterally negotiate a modified policy with Facebook.
• Lobby for Facebook to amend its policies through its Facebook Site Governance section
• Cancel your Facebook account

The fact is that Facebook members own the intellectual property (IP) that is uploaded to the social network, but depending on their privacy and applications settings, users grant the social network “a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License).”

Facebook adds, “[t]his IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it.”

While the social network does not technically own its members content, it has the right to use anything that is not protected with Facebook’s privacy and applications settings. For instance, photos, videos and status updates set to public are fair game.