Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Pinterest Debate

With all of the recent Pinterest hullabaloo regarding copyright, and fair use, I decided to delete all of my boards, except for my own board for Release Me Creations jewelry.  The Pinterest debate has been raging all over the internet, and it has been hard to ignore.

I was on the fence with this decision. I struggled with it because I loved my boards. They were such a source of inspiration, especially for DIY, and craft projects. But after reading many articles and interviews from lawyers and various bloggers, I decided I didn't want to risk getting sued. This article from Digital Trends had some very interesting content and argument for why you need to be very cautious when using Pinterest.  

For the most part people welcome the exposure, and only ask that you link back or pin from the original source, however it would only take one accidental pin by me to have the proverbial $%!# to hit the fan. I read how a company was successfully sued for $10,000 over one pinned stock image, even after they had promptly taken it down after realizing their mistake. I don't want that happening. I'm okay with pinning my own pictures as I own them, but I made sure to add watermarks to them before uploading and pinning them.  But then again, it says in the "Pin Etiquette" to not use Pinterest for self-promotion...huh?  If I am only to pin the images I own, what other reason is there to pin them but for other people to see them?  It's all so muddy.  Basically, I have my jewelry board for me.  I'm not trying to sell through Pinterest.  I enjoy seeing the entire collection together, so that is why I will leave it be.  And if Pinterest has an issue with it, then I will be completely done with Pinterest.

As the debate rages on, I'm going to wait to see where it all goes. I might restart my boards, but I am just leery right now. It just feels like Pinterest had a great concept, but failed to think it all the way through. And I don't want to be the one who ends up being sued because Pinterest didn't do its homework. One thing was clear from reading their "Terms of Service," that they will take zero responsibility if someone is sued for pinning. They made sure to protect themselves, but not their users, which just seems backwards to me.  

What are your thoughts?
MyFreeCopyright.com Registered & Protected

4 COMMENTS:

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

I started pinterest, but mostly for a custom shadow box. It made it easy for me to pin items that I would possibly put in the shadowbox and then sent the link to my customer. When I was done, I deleted the board.
Debbi
-yankeeburrowcreations

Anonymous said... Best Blogger Tips

why you have to delete all your boards? :(
I mean, pinning something doesn't mean that you need to buy those stuff.
I pin because I love things.
I love seeing things I don't like.
I love inspiring things!
by the way, have you ever heard pinfaves dot com?
it's a great website where you can submit your favorite pins from pinterest.
you can also vote up the pins you like or vote down the pins you hate.
it's great, isn't it?
just go to pinfaves dot com and trust me, it's worth the try. :)

love,
Kat

Maureen said... Best Blogger Tips

@FoodPorn WebsiteThe issue has to do with copyright. If I accidentally pin something from somewhere on the internet and the person who owns the rights to those photos decides that they do not want that photo on Pinterest, I can be sued...for a lot of money. That happening is probably a long shot, but I'd rather err on the side of caution for the time being, until the dust settles and Pinterest appears to have a handle on their copyright issues and Terms of Service :)

BIKBIK AND RORO said... Best Blogger Tips

Hm, interesting -- you've definitely given me food for thought.

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