Your Pinterest posts could be breaking the law
As we’ve previously discussed, Pinterest has really taken off recently. What most people haven’t thought about, though, is how with the surge of active users on the site, we’re also probably seeing a surge in copyright infringement. I came across this article from Business Insider about the issue of copyright infringement on Pinterest and thought it was worth sharing with you. They spoke with a media law attorney about the issue and came up with an FAQ about how copyright law relates to content on Pinterest. I’ve summarized some of the points for you below.
Pinterest is entirely based on the use of compelling images. The whole point of the site is to find things that inspire you and post them on your board to share with others. It is fair to say that most users are not creating their own content and therefore are posting images that do not belong to them. Many of these images are the work of professional photographers and are therefore copyrighted images. It’s something people don’t tend to think about, probably because most of us aren’t even aware that what we’re doing is illegal. Basically, it comes down to this: if you post a copyrighted image that you don’t own the rights to and do not have permission to use, you could potentially be in violation of digital copyright laws.
It’s not clear whether or not Pinterest falls under the umbrella of Fair Use, which would mean that these kinds of posts are safe. However, at the moment it doesn’t really seem to fit the qualifications. Currently, any posts that are in violation of copyright should be removed by Pinterest, much like how it is handled at YouTube. However, these posts are only removed if a complaint is received from the copyright holder. It’s not likely that this will change, since monitoring every single post for potential copyright violations would be a massive task for any company to undertake. As Pinterest continues to grow, so will the copyright issues. It will be interesting to see how they choose to deal with it if and when copyright holders start to launch complaints about the way their work is being used.
Take a look at the original article for a more in depth look at the copyright issues surrounding Pinterest. It’s an interesting read and does a really great job of explaining the details surrounding digital copyright laws. Do you think this will stop people from signing up and using Pinterest, or do people just not care about breaking copyright laws? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
