Why is a photo I took on Pinterest?

[Sanford]

<p>And what is Pinterest? Should I care?</p>

[Norma Desmond]

<blockquote>

<p>Why is a photo I took on Pinterest?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Because this is the web and once you've posted a photo, rightly or wrongly, it's generally considered up for grabs. Someone found it interesting for whatever reason and wanted others to see it. Social networking is all about sharing. I think you can ask them to take it down if you don't want it up.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>And what is Pinterest?</p>

</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinterest">HERE'S</a> the Wikipedia entry on what Pinterest is.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Should I care?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Only you can answer that. Some would find it flattering or useful that others show interest in their photos. Others would find it a copyright infringement and be resentful. Others will have other reactions.</p>

[Sanford]

<p>Thanks Fred. I think I will just consider it a complement and leave it at that.</p>

[William Kahn]

<p>Sanford, a couple of mine have shown up on Pinterest also, complete with the white frame and copyright notice, which is helpful. It is a little unsettling that the metadata has been stripped, but that's not unusual for any website. On the plus side, with an image size of less than 700 px on the long side and 72 ppi resolution, I don't think there's a lot that can be done with them outside of web posting. If they start showing up on stock photo sites, that's a different matter altogether. Other than that, as Fred indicates, it is what it is on the web...</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<blockquote>

<p>It is what it is on the web...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Very true, with a bit "but". The only goal of pinterest seems to be sharing of photos that aren't yours, and in that sense its aim seems to be to violate copyrights. Many other sites will have large amounts of copyright-questionable-content (youtube, facebook), but they do not actively encourage it.<br>

In that sense, I find pinterest actually crosses a border; it seems to base its idea on "copyrights do not work on the internet, so stop bothering, it's free for all now". Even while I'm completely not in the business of selling images, I still think this isn't the right signal, and the wrong conclusion to a much needed debate (on how to deal with copyrights). As it is today, I find pinterest's business model (=making money of images they do not own, and their users do not own) is hard to defend.</p>

<p>That said, being the hobbyist I am, I'd probably smile if a photo of mine appeared there, and try to follow a bit how it'd do.</p>

[Spearhead]

<p>This is a very narrow view of Pinterest. Many people are encouraged by the owners of photographs to use Pinterest. For example, my wife works in the design/decorator business. Vendors and others encourage her to use Pinterest to put up their photos in addition to her own. Decorators, showrooms, sales reps, and stores all use Pinterest for that purpose. It's common with fashion also. In fact, any business selling a product or service tends to find it useful. Why would Canon want to do a takedown for people posting their (copyrighted) photos of cameras?<br>

<br />The real problem isn't Pinterest, it's copyright laws that are outdated and don't reflect technology and the design of the laws around big corporations. There need to be changes in the laws and technology that allows easy marking of photos that can be "shared" to reduce the friction and make it easier for people to know which photos they can use. Until Congress gets out from under Disney's fist, it's going to be an issue, but at least some sort of marking scheme would resolve some of the concerns. </p>

[dave_s]

<p>I have a friend who's a painter, and she used Pinterest in the same way. She hangs up ideas and images and designs she thinks she might like to revisit, like having a file drawer full of images. I suppose some photographers might find it useful for something.</p>

<p>Having said that, I actually set up a Pinterest account of my own, and I found it to be useless for what I wanted. I had planned to use it for work, to hang up technical material. Most of what I want to put there can't be put there, for whatever reason. </p>

[dan_south]

<p>Does having the photo displayed on Pinterest deprive you of money that you would have earned if it had NOT been posted there? You can claim copyright infringement, but probably you won't be compensated for what you haven't lost - or what you cannot demonstrate that you have lost.</p>

<p>If you post a photo online, that's where it will live from now on.</p>

[Ian Taylor]

<p><em>"Why is a photo I took on Pinterest?"</em></p>

 

Because someone liked it.

 

[Damon DAmato]

<p>People reading Dan's comment above should know that, <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html#504">if you've registered your image</a> with the US Copyright Office, the infringer may be liable for either: the owner's actual damages and any additional profits of the infringer, or <em>statutory damages.</em><br /><br />Statutory damages that may be collected range from $200 for an unintended or unknowing infringement, on up to $150,000 if a court finds the infringement willful.<br>

They can pile on a lot more statutory and treble damages for adding fraudulent copyright notices, removing existing notices and watermarks, and more.</p>

[LineMartel]

<p>Every once in a while I Google myself to see where my images end up. I discovered them on several websites, but mostly on Pinterest. The images on Pinterest are linked to my PN portfolio. People just click the pin it button under your photo (I personally don't have a problem with that...). You can disable those sharing buttons on your workspace. You can do a search on Pinterest for Photo.net and you will see there is very extensive collection of images from Photo.net members.</p>

[Timo Hartikainen]

<p>I have seen that "pinterest counter" on some of my photos, shows some numbers. Is it possible to see somehow, all my photos, which have been pinned? This may be a stupid question, but I haven't used Pinterest or have not tried so much with search engines, to see where my photos may have been used. </p>

[Timo Hartikainen]

<p>Oh, sorry, Line had maybe answered for that..I should do a search on Pinterest with my name and photo.net maybe..</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>Very few of my photos that I've posted to photo.net, Flickr or Facebook have turned up anywhere else, and none with any commercial intent. The few photos of mine that have been pinned were of folks with tattoos, and all were relevant to niche interests: tattoos, or the themes of those tats. Seems like an appropriate use of Pinterest. If I ever get around to publisher a book or magazine on those themes maybe it'll help generate a bit of... um... Pinterest.</p>

<p>A few other photos have been used on personal blogs. That's generally okay with me, and I've specifically said so for most of my pix of Fort Worth. </p>

<p>But it's difficult to be certain how many photos are used without permission, and where, because Google tends to drop blatant ripoff sites that feature mostly pirated material, have too many DMCA complaints, etc. I haven't used Tineye for awhile but it was pretty good at digging up image matches on sites that were downrated by Google - mostly sites in China, Russia, etc., that featured mostly pirated stuff.</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>Pinterest has an engine that just goes around grabbing any image it can find on the Web based on a theme, usually the pictures are very low res.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<blockquote>

<p>"Pinterest has an engine that just goes around grabbing any image it can find on the Web based on a theme, usually the pictures are very low res."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That's not how Pinterest works. </p>

[dan_south]

<blockquote>

<p>Statutory damages that may be collected range from $200 for an unintended or unknowing infringement, on up to $150,000 if a court finds the infringement willful.<br />They can pile on a lot more statutory and treble damages for adding fraudulent copyright notices, removing existing notices and watermarks, and more.</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

Good luck getting $150,000 out of a copyright settlement.</p>