Some people are feeling scared about Pinterst – in particular – a lawyer/photographer who removed all her boards to technically delete any potential responsibility for copyright infringement.
This started a flurry of fear and conversation by Pinners worldwide. Yikes. What seemed so simple and beautiful now seems complicated and icky.
So let’s do a little Stephen Covey and begin with the end in mind.
Here’s the bottom line – share stuff – don’t steal stuff.
Feature your expertise and be a curator of all that’s cool as it relates to your business. Don’t steal people’s sh*t.
I asked the question about people stealing my design ideas about five years ago when I was working on my website and startig to post things to places like http://www.HOUZZ.com.
The answer I got was “Well then Denise – if you don’t want people to steal your ideas – don’t have a website”
We all know that’s not an option.
I let that fear go.
So then – why am I bringing up Pinterest fears?
1) Because I’ve seen lots of talk about it lately and
2) Because the Pinterest terms of agreement state that users are ultimately responsible for any and all expenses associated with any copyright infringement. You can read the specific terms of use on the Pinterest site - http://www.pinterest.com
However, federal copyright laws state:
Copyrighted work can only be used without permission when someone is criticizing it, commenting on it, reporting on it, teaching about it, or conducting research.
So taking a nano second to make a comment as you re-pin seems to cover the copyright issue.
Do you really think Martha Stewart is going to come after you for re-pinning something from her website that links directly back to her website and that you’ve indicated is a super cool organizing or design solution?
I’m no Martha Stewart – but I’d be happy about the increased traffic to my website.
And if you’d like to read the article by the attorney/photographer who’s concerned about breaking the law - here’s a link to the article:
I hope she doesn’t sue me for sharing it.
Great post Denise! There has been a bunch of posts and concerns about the copyright issue. You nailed it when you said “Share stuff don’t steal stuff”… You put my mind at ease – Thanks!
Pinterest just withdrew their ridiculous claim that they own all the content (Facebook hasn’t done that yet) – BUT sharing and repinning made so easy will rob some designers and artists of income.
This copyright issue is going to be one that really plagues Pinterest. I think that there will be many large companies who see it as an infringement and will begin exploring legal options.
I agree that some site owners, like Martha Stewart, may find the traffic and value acceptable uses of their copyrighted content, I can assure you there are others who would not. As it grows, its target will get larger and larger. This is going to be an interesting copyright infringement discussion for sure.
Thanks Denise.
“Don’t be afraid” is a great line. Of success; of failure; of anything.
Goodness. Least of all should we be in fear of Pinterest…
Right?
Eric
Exactly Eric – you can’t live life from fear!
Thanks Denise,
I see a new wave of sites that say “Don’t pin my content!” (especially photographers or graphics artists). We’ll see if this truly turns into a backlash or if it’s just a speed bump on the way to a site that can thrive long term. Besides copyrights they’ll also need to think about business model next… Thanks for posting!
Hi Denise
Pintrest does seem to be the flavor of the month. It’s very early days for this new player and like all new tools there are crinkles to iron out and issues that will raise their ugly head.
It will be interesting to see where it is a year or two from now.
Denise,
Pinterest just changed their terms and conditions last week as well to reduce the exposure and some of the backlash they were getting.
I agree if you’re sharing you are most likely in the clear… Using someone else’s image as if it were your own. You might be in trouble.
Thanks,
Ryan H.
Hi Denise,
This is an interesting topic for me. Pinterest not so much, but the entire copyright law thing. You see, here in Finland things are a bit different when it comes to suing people. Basically we don’t do it. It’s an extreme case where an individual would sue another individual or a company. And even companies hardly ever sue other companies or individuals. Copyrights are one of those things that sometimes go to court, but it’s so extreme that it’s very difficult for me to grasp.
The problem, for me, is that I’m in the Internet and most people here aren’t Finnish (fortunately
) Suddenly I should understand some weird laws from USA and avoid pissing off the Chinese government 
How can anyone do that without a legal degree from a fancy university?
The only way to survive seems to be that you go with the flow: as long as more than a million people are doing it, you’re probably not going to be sued
Awesome, I’ve been reading some interesting Pinterest articles today
Now: Newspapers are evolving, CDs are evolving, video’s evolving….
…anyone care to guess what’s gonna happen with so-called “copyright”?
Pffft… owning an idea, please.
This is such a sticky subject here. It seems like everyone has a different opinion. I totally agree with you about saying something nice about someones image, crediting them, & linking back to them. Who wouldn’t want that?
I use images from Pinterest sometimes on my blog posts, always giving credit to the source, but from the copyright law you wrote about above, it sounds like I’m doing it wrong. I guess it’s not enough just to share it & source it… you have to comment on it? I don’t know. I thought sourcing was enough, but maybe it’s different on a blog that you make money off of. Maybe that’s why you’re supposed to use commercial images or have permission from the image owner. I really don’t know, but I’m in the process of changing the way I do things anyway. Thanks for this post. It’s very informative & Pinterest is definitely a hot topic at the moment.