For those interested in continuing the discussion/debate on Pinterest:
1. There has been some use of Pinterest in scamming, to make money off Pinterest:
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/03/20/how-spot-pinterest-scam
2. There are issues with copyright:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2012/03/16/the-promise-and-perils-of-pinterest/
The post at the Scientific American website links to other website (and Washington Post and Wall Street Journal articles and discussions).
The discussion in the comments section is of some interest, and brings up various aspects of copyright law and the Orphan Works legislation.
3. Finally, if you have a website and do not want images of your creation to be pinned, then you should read the following, which alerts you to code (pasted farther below) to add at the head of any page on your website:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2012/03/19/pinterests-terms-of-service-word-by-terrifying-word/
code:
<meta name="pinterest" content="nopin" />
I have not tested this, so I can't vouch for its utility.
Pinterest places all blame and potential legal fees on its users. It writes:
ReplyDelete"You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold Cold Brew Labs, its officers, directors, employees and agents, harmless from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees, arising out of or in any way connected with (i) your access to or use of the Site, Application, Services or Site Content, (ii) your Member Content, or (iii) your violation of these Terms.”
Basically, if a photographer sues you for pinning an image illegally on Pinterest, the user must not only pay for his or her lawyer, they must also pay for Pinterest's lawyer. In addition, the defendant must pay all charges against him or herself, along with all of Pinterest's charges
Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-28/tech/31106641_1_repinning-copyright-entire-image#ixzz1qkn463VM
Of course scamming tries to ruin everything that seems like a good idea... (:
ReplyDeleteThe copyright thing never even occurred to me.
All of this certainly makes one wonder when the first broad-based court case against Pinterest will arise, and what legal ramifications will ultimately prevail.
ReplyDeleteOf course, there is some suggestion on the internet that the originator of Pinterest will sell out, walk away, and let the new owners deal with the mess, when it eventually arises.