Quite how the law systems of the world view this
latter kind of
"contract", I'm not sure, but an awful lot of people rely on it - I
have a feeling it rather depends on the details because people have
suggested that the "EULAs" you "agree to" when installing software
might not always be enforceable. But it hinges on the fact that nobody
has the *right* to contribute to your wiki; they do so on your terms,
or they don't do so at all.
IANL, but I have read something about copyright laws doing research
for my own site. Contracts can be entered into by more means than
signing a paper. Oral agreements can be a legal agreement (based on
certain rule). Accepting an agreement by pressing an 'ok' button on a
website can definitely be a legal agreement (otherwise banking on the
internet would not work). I even had a website call me with an
automated message that recorded my voice saying, "I accept." If you
make it a clear and easily identifiable message that submitting
information to your website is bound to some terms, than that is an
agreement and can be upheld in a court of law (so long as the terms
themselves are not illegal, ie: a contract to kill is not a legal
agreement).
--
~Jason Walker
Take back the web - Get Firefox!