Collegiate Times

As Pinterest.com rapidly attracts more users each day, many are not sure what really happens when they “pin.”

What many users may not realize is that they could be liable for copyright infringement if they pin the wrong picture. Pinterest’s “Legal & Copyright” page details the potential seriousness of copyright infringement, but it may not be getting across to users who do not read the terms of use.

Pinterest is a virtual pin-board that allows users to pin photos from around the Internet and organize them into themed collections — or “boards” — either to use for inspiration or to share with others. In January, the site had 11.7 million users, making Pinterest the fastest website in history to hit 10 million users, according to comScore, an Internet marketing research company. It is now among the top 10 social networks.

By creating a Pinterest account, all users are agreeing to the website’s terms of use. Under the section entitled “Member Content,” all users agree to the following: the pinner owns all content that is not copyrighted, the member content may be used and sold by the site, and the user surrenders all rights to the picture. 

“I’m hoping they reconsider the terms,” said Megan Amraen, a freshman business major. “It would be so hard for me to delete my account.”     

Essentially, all users are agreeing they are the sole owner of the images they are pinning, they have permission to pin them or the photos are not copyrighted. But, many users may not be able to tell what pictures on the Internet are copyrighted. This could result in users unknowingly committing copyright infringement.

Pinterest handles many instances of copyright infringement: It simply takes down the photo at the request of the owner and issues a warning to the user. According to the site’s terms of use, too many copyright complaints will result in the account being disabled.

However, if the rightful owner of the copyrighted content wants to use legal action, it is stated in the terms of use that the user agrees “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.” This means that the user — not Pinterest — is responsible for any legal suits that arise over copyright.

John Jackson, the director of Web communications at Tech, said his team has read through Pinterest’s terms of use and found they were consistent with the terms of service on other social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“Our strategy has been to post images and content that we’ve distributed elsewhere, whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter or on the Virginia Tech sites we maintain,” Jackson said.

Pinterest users have responded through posts asking the company to change their terms of use, some even threatening to delete their account. After becoming attached to the website and its variety of content, however, many users may not find this to be an easy task.  

“I guess the risk is there, but I’m still going to do it,” said Rathi Gupta, a junior business major. “Maybe I won’t re-pin anymore, but just look at other people’s pins.”

Sam Thompson, a junior communication major, agreed that she would not delete her account either.

However, colleges and universities have also created Pinterest accounts, Virginia Tech included. And when it comes to Pinterest accounts that represent bigger communities, account deletion may be more likely.

“As with any new Web or social media trend, our participation with Pinterest is an ongoing experiment,” Jackson said. “We hope that it leads to a greater engagement with friends and fans of Virginia Tech. If we feel that we’re not able to accomplish that, or if we determine that our efforts can be better spent on another social media site or venue, we’ll change that approach.”

Those following Tech’s Pinterest account can see themed pin-boards such as “Virginia Tech History,” “Around Virginia Tech” and “Hokie Pets.”

A version of this article appeared in the Mar 21 issue of the Collegiate Times.