I forbid all images and all content from Plannerisms and my Flickr account to be pinned on Pinterest. I have stated this in my sidebar, and also have added a "no Pinterest" image to try to get the message across.
Pinning images on Pinterest violates the copyright of my blog. If you have pinned images from Plannerisms on Pinterest, please remove them. I have contacted Pinterest directly to remove all Plannerisms images, and I expect them to do so immediately.
I know Pinterest seems like a fun way to share images you like, but it's not all fun and games.
Please click here to read Steve's excellent article about why he is against Pinterest. I'm against it for all the same reasons. I'm also against it for personal privacy issues for users, which you can read about in my comment here on the Quo Vadis Blog.
When I first discovered that my images were pinned on Pinterest, I got very angry. My first thought was to completely erase all of my content and images on Plannerisms, Facebook and Flickr. I'm still considering this, actually. I love Plannerisms and I would miss it very much if I had to destroy it because of some intrusive website like Pinterest.
So please, don't pin my stuff.
NOOOOOO!!! Don't delete your content, PLEASE!!!
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't think people think they're filching copyrighted images--don't think people who use Pinterest have malicious intent--and there are those of us who really really NEED your blog...
First of all, I don't know what's up with the new Comments format!!
ReplyDeleteSecond, I'm sure almost all people who use Pinterest don't mean any harm in pinning. But that's part of the problem. Most people are ignorant of how the content can be misused, which leaves it more vulnerable to misuse as it gets more widespread. Pretty soon you get into the situation of, "Everybody does it so it must be okay." It's a slippery slope, and pretty soon all your content can be taken and there's nothing you can say about it.
I don't mean to get all Big Brother about it, just trying to protect my content. :)
Hi
DeleteYou can now prevent sharing on Flickr, I've only put two images back on to Flickr just to test the water, if those two appear anywhere I will remove them and close the account.
As I said in my post (thanks for linking back by the way) this is nothing new in terms of me having my images pinched and used elsewhere and I doubt it will be the last, but Pinterest is doing it on an industrial scale.
Regards
Steve
Steve I think that's the main issue, Pinterest makes it so easy to take content. And as Rori pointed out, people don't mean anything malicious, in fact it's a compliment that they find the image interesting enough to pin it. I don't have issues with those folks, but with Pinterest itself. And from what I hear, Pinterest is increasing its users very rapidly, so I'm hoping to nip this in the bud.
DeleteI also went into my Flickr account today and changed my Sharing status (didn't know that was possible, thanks so much for pointing it out!).
Ok, I've gone back to having the Comments embedded below the post instead of in a new window, let's hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWow, I realize the Internet is making us struggle with concepts of right to privacy and ownership of intellectual content. But Pinterest seems to not recognize these ideas at all. I would very much miss Plannerisms but, Laurie, I totally support your right to do what is necessary to protect yourself.
ReplyDeleteHaving read your comment on the Quo Vadis site I wonder if you were trying the same Pinterest as I use. I didn't sign in through Twitter or Facebook but as a seperate account. While I was given a subject list and may have chosen a couple the only people I follow are people who I have actively chosen to follow. And I wasn't offered a Pin button - I'm not even sure what that is. While I know Pinterest rolled out as an invitation thing by the time I started using it, you could just sign up. I enjoy noodling around Pinterest but I also understand you not wanting your work to turn up on there.
ReplyDeleteBeverley that's interesting. I only tried signing up a couple of weeks ago. If you don't have a Pin button, how do you pin images?
DeleteYou can "repin" things that have already been on pinterest without pinning new things. The "Pin it" button is in case you come across something independently and want to pin yourself. I have a number of friends who exclusively use pinterest via their iPhone so they only repin, never pin independently.
DeleteI find these arguments very thought provoking as I am both an avid lover of your blog and an addicted "pinner." After reading this and Steve's article I read through the copyright and privacy statements of Pinterest and couldn't find where it stated that they would take ownership of the images. In fact I found a few spaces where it stated to respect the copyright of the original owners of images. Now of course there are always a few bad apples that spoil the bunch and I don't know how much time you would even want to continue to lend to this discussion but can you (or anyone for that matter) point out where Pinterest states they would have the rights over images on their site? Thank you. I will continue to "pin" but I will not pin anything from Plannerisms to respect Laurie and her wonderful site.
I've blocked Pinterest from my site too. However, I still have a Pinterest account and I am having a dilemma with that. I got a Pinterest account for personal use, so that I could collect design ideas for my dream house. People follow me, but it was always meant to be a personal project for me. If I delete that I'll lose all those design boards I've made. So, I am currently undecided on the issue of my use of the site.
ReplyDeleteLaurie - How did you find out that your items had been pinned? Do you need an account to see that?
ReplyDeleteHi Kanalt,
DeleteYou don't need an account, I found it at:
http://pinterest.com/source/plannerisms.com/
Of course that only shows items pinned directly from my blog.
I am trying to understand what exactly your problem with and why "pinning" your pictures is bad. Your article provides no argument. And the article you link (which is no different than Pinning an image that links a persons work) by Steve is light on information as well. He poses one problem with it but I am not sure how valid it is. I am all for artists protecting their work but I am not sure Pinterest is something that threatens that.
ReplyDeleteI assume that you are interested in sharing your work with the public. This seems obvious becasue you have a blog that is open to the public. There is an option to make your blog private or even to make it viewable to selected people. Therefore it is actually in your favor to have your photos linked on other sites. It is doing the same thing you did by using code and typing the words to link Steve's blog. The only difference is the code used to generate the link. Again this is something of value to a person who wishes to share their work to the public.
If you are truly worries about your work being violated then it is in your best interest to not have it online. I would argue that your threat to remove all of your content is the way you should go, if it is that much of a big deal to you. It is much more of a threat to you if people simply take a screen shot of your photos and then upload them as their own. By using a tool like Pinterest you are at least given credit and have the added benefit of people being linked to your content.
What I find most interesting is your apparent anger at the situation becasue it seems like you are loosing or stand to loose something of great value (in the way Metallica was over music sharing. But the had a world wide following of millions and were worried about lose of income) when in fact the only thing you could lose is a little bit of ego if someone didn't credit you with the work. I ask you, is it that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things?
Looking at the situation of people sharing your photographs and not giving you credit, what is the greatest harm? Or maybe it is actually a blessing you have given someone on a day when they most needed it. Maybe a beautiful picture you took is the one thing that gave someone hope and joy that day. Would that be so terrible? Or what if in the worst case scenario someone was able to sell a copy of a picture you took? I would have to assume they needed the money if they went that far out of the way to make a buck. And if so did it really affect you negatively in anyway or did it benefit you by doing something that helped another human?I am only asking these questions to put the situation in some perspective. Because it would be different if you were financially dependent on selling you work and the business was so great that someone else was able to negatively affect your sales and in turn make a huge sum of money. But I am not sure that is the case.
There are a multitude of arguments why it is not bad or even wrong of people to Pin your photos. But I think I have taken enough space. I just want to finish with one point and a question. The point that the original artist or source of the content on Pinterest is linked to the piece. No one is presenting the photo as their own. And what is the difference with a person using something like the no pinning sign on your site and someone using any other form of expression. At least on Pinterest you get credit for a picture where the sign on your sidebar does not give credit even when I tried to find it.
All of my statements and questions come from an ignorant source (me) about this topic and I am sincerely interested in the argument. I am not trying to say you are wrong and I am right or put you down in any form. I look forward to hearing your reasons and hopefully I can join the bandwagon. All I need is a good reason. Thank you sincerely
Hi BAS,
DeleteThanks for your comment. I don't think I'll be able to explain this in a way that will be satisfactory to you, but I'll address some of your issues.
Firstly, Pinning an image is very different from linking. When you post a link, the link does not show that person's content at all. You click on the link to go directly to the person's page where you see the content only on their page. Similarly, Flickr groups and sets show the photo or image as part of the owner's photostream.
Pinterest takes images out of context (out of the owner's blog or website). It might seem like a small difference, but it is a different situation.
I'm not interested in arguing my case. Suffice to say there is a growing group of people in the online community who want their images kept out of Pinterest. Pinterest's creation of their html code blocking images from being pinned is their (very helpful) response to this.
Bottom line is, as you said, if I don't want my images being pinched I should keep them offline. I've seen my images stolen before. It's just that Pinterest makes it so, so much easier.
My blog is at http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/.
DeleteAny time someone pins an image from my blog on Pinterest, my blog's URL automatically links to the board pin. I have received an enormous number of visits via Pinterest pins.
As for copyright, the benefits of having the word about my blog spread around the globe outweigh the use of the images. Many are my own and I mark them as such. If I did not want them shared, I wouldn't have placed them online in the first place.
My POV. I know you disagree, but for me the benefits of the publicity outweigh my outrage.
My blog is at http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/.
DeleteAny time someone pins an image from my blog on Pinterest, my blog's URL automatically links to the board pin. I have received an enormous number of visits via Pinterest pins.
As for copyright, the benefits of having the word about my blog spread around the globe outweigh the use of the images. Many are my own and I mark them as such. If I did not want them shared, I wouldn't have placed them online in the first place.
My POV. I know you disagree, but for me the benefits of the publicity outweigh my outrage.
Thank you for your response. Honestly it is not my intention to cause issue I am really interested in the underlying concern. Trust me I don't want anyone to get credit for doing nothing and that includes stealing peoples art or anything else that someone has worked hard to achieve. I guess that is my question.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the concern with someone pinning a photograph of yours or any other artists considering they give credit to the original creator and help direct traffic to that site?
Again thank you kindly for your response.
Hi BAS,
ReplyDeleteThe reason is hard to explain. Let me give an example that is a similar situation. A few months ago, another blogger posted a blog post that contained one of my images, and a few paragraphs of my text that she had copied and pasted directly from my blog. She included a link to my blog, but by posting my own content on her blog without my permission, she violated copyright laws. I asked her to take it down and I'm not sure she understood why it was a violation (since she did, after all, give credit to my blog) but she obliged and removed the content.
Pinterest is a similar situation. It removes my content from my blog to a different website, without my permission.
It's not a matter of who benefits, or if it's a financial detriment to me. It's using my content and images on a different website without my permission.
Thank you for your example it does help me understand what your concern is. After you wrote that I went through Steve's posts and then followed a link of his to another blog where they write about the problem. And on her blog she writes in detail what the problem(s) are. You can read her post here http://www.livinglocurto.com/2012/02/pinterest-changing-blog/ (or your readers can for more information).
ReplyDeleteI would like to point out that if someone posts anything from your site (picture, paragraph, or idea) and cites the original creator it is not breaking any copyright law. This is done on a regular basis in all forms of media. This is the reason citations were developed. Think of all the articles, books, scholarly papers, and a multitude of other media that you see with quotes and often pictures. Or reviews of products where the person will use a photo from the company (thinking book reviews).
The one thing I learned from the link I posted that is a real problem with Pinterest has to do with the photo being on their server and out of your control. I can see where that could cause a problem.
Anyway, I will leave it at that. I hope you understand I have not been trying to create a problem or be argumentative. I honestly found the topic very intriguing and wanted to clarify the reason behind all of this. Thank you very much for helping with that.
And now I have a new great blog to follow. Thanks.