Recently, I was scrolling through a blogging group on Facebook and someone asked, are Pinterest images copyright free?
In some of the people, we’re asking a whole lot of other questions like;
Are Pinterest Images Copyright Free
Am I free to use any image on Pinterest?
Are Pinterest images free to use?
Will Google penalize me if I use Pinterest images?
Am I going to face any copyright infringement cases, if I take images from Pinterest and use them while linking back to the original source?
Here is the fact, there are no images on Pinterest that are copyright-free to use.
Every image has been uploaded by a brand individual or small business.
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Using images on Pinterest: Are Pinterest Images Copyright Free?
In Pinterest’s words “Except in unusual cases, Pinterest is not the copyright holder in the images that users pin on the site. Where necessary, you should get permission to use an image from its copyright owner.”
About Copyright ownership
According to Pinterest, “Copyrights are generally owned by whoever creates the work of expression. In some cases, the owner may be someone else if the work was created by an employee or contractor.
The original owner can also transfer ownership of the copyright to others.”
“Note that owning or possessing a physical work doesn’t necessarily mean that you own the copyright in that work. For example, if you buy a collection of old photographs, that doesn’t necessarily mean you own the copyright in those images (though you may).”
Further Disclaimer
“If you believe that your copyrights are being infringed and you’d like to have the content removed, visit our copyright page to submit a copyright removal notice to us.
You can submit a request to us by using our web form or provide notice by any other means specified in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, as explained.
When you submit a request, make sure that the information provided is true and accurate. Knowingly submitting false infringement notices can result in liability for damages under section 512(f) of the DMCA or similar laws in other countries.”
Copyright removal requests for photos of you
“If you’re in a photo that someone else took, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re the copyright owner of that photo. Only the owner of a copyright (or an authorized agent acting on their behalf) can submit a copyright removal request.
If there is a photo of you that you’d like removed, you might want to consider submitting a privacy complaint by writing to us.”
Source: Copyright on Pinterest
Conclusively, Pinterest is trying to warn users not to take any image they want on their site and use it as a copyright-free image.
You don’t want any copyright lawsuit filed against you or have your site taken down for using a brand’s copyright photos.
Ideally, you should strive to have your own personal photos to avoid any of the above issues.