Pinterest Copyright Panic Continues, Users Fear Violating Copyrights
Along with the slow infection of users across social media with the Pinterest bug- not unlike a zombie film- so too has begun a buzz about whether we’re all headed off to jail for sharing that fantastic set of latte bowls from Anthropologie.
It’s almost inevitable some form of hysteria would erupt over a danger lurking amid all the pinning fun to be had on Pinterest, and the fear of accidentally violating a copyright law looms large in the minds of law abiding citizens across the web. (MarketWatch asks shrilly, “Is Pinterest the Next Napster?” Oh noes!) This morning, one of my web groups was all in a furor over a post that surmises all sorts of potential legal trouble one could risk by repinning items on the service, but it also seems Pinterest is for some reason getting raked over the coals for what appears to be a standard Terms of Service agreement outlining and releasing the company from all imagined forms of liability.
A post titled “Pinterest: Change Your Terms or We’re Leaving” has been making the rounds- with a graphic handily added with encouragement to pin the article to Pinterest, we suppose as the last thing you ever do on the site- and makes a whole lot of assumptions about the site’s TOS from the perspective of a layperson. And from another layperson’s perspective, I have to say, it sounds a little alarmist. It opens:
I’m pretty new to Pinterest myself, but Kim has used it for awhile. We both love it. But recently, we read an article about their scary Terms of Use. The word is slowly spreading and it’s made a lot of people 1) scared to use their account, or 2) delete their account completely, or 3) continue using it and think nothing bad will happen. At first we felt like #3, but after reading more about it and realizing a possible scenario that could easily happen, we felt like #1 and now we’re at the point of #2.
As a long-time member of the Snopes community, I have to say that this opening paragraph set off my debunking sectors. “Word is spreading” means little as far as impact on the internet, as word was spreading earlier today that I could unseat an African warlord by liking a Facebook status. “A lot of people” could be the three people this dude knows who use Pinterest, and so far, not a single story has emerged of copyright harassment due to Pinterest use. But the site goes on to lay out a nightmare scenario in which an innocently pinned image of kittens leads to financial ruin, arrest and a sexually transmitted disease. Okay, not the last part, but it’s still pretty alarmist:
- You pin a picture of a cat without permission.
- Pinterest sells it to ABC Marketing.
- ABC Marketing prints it on kitty litter boxes.
- Cat picture owner sees kitty litter box in store and calls lawyer.
- Lawyer calls Pinterest.
- Pinterest calls you.
- Bad things happen.
Bad things happen, you guys! Okay, obviously Kyle has the best of intentions here, but it also seems that in order for Pinterest to continue its meteoric success and achieve profitability, its business model probably hinges on users not getting hauled out of their well-appointed bedrooms in the middle of the night by copyright police. While the concern isn’t entirely misplaced, all indicators we have seen thus far seem to suggest that the lion’s share of content on Pinterest comes from sources thrilled to be getting the extra traffic.
However, if there was any fracas to be raised from the use of Pinterest and its potential damage to users via copyright lawsuits, chances are by this point a situation would have occurred. And while some copyright holders have complained and the service added a “no pin” clause, it does not seem anyone has yet fallen afoul of the legal system just by sharing a recipe or skirt on the site.
As with all things, it’s great to be cautious, but it seems that your pins are safe and no one has been arrested for Pinterest addiction just yet. Are you afraid to use Pinterest because of all the scaremongering?
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About the Author
Kim LaCapria Kim LaCapria is a writer and editor based in New York. A longtime information junkie, she began blogging full-time at the Inquisitr in 2009. Prior to that, she worked as a marketing assistant in the cosmetics and skincare industry. In addition to her writing for fortytwotimes, she also writes for Medacity and The Inquisitr. Kim is also a contributor for SocialNewsDaily, Indyposted, and TotallyMoney. In the past, she contributed to Lipstick and Luxury and managed social media accounts and blogs for several small and mid-sized businesses.
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