Websites are now able to opt-out of Pinterest, but why would they?

pinterest-help-screenshot.jpgWhen we first signed up to Pinterest last year it was all about individuals collecting photos of styles they’d love to copy or places they’d love to visit, but (as you’re all probably well aware) in the past few months it’s exploded and we’re seeing the site being used in all kinds of ways by all kinds of different people, brands and businesses.

One issue that’s cropped up as more use Pinterest has been whether there are any copyright implications when it comes to pinning, despite the fact every source is credited and when you click on an image you’re quickly transported to the place you found it.

Apart from a select few, we’ve seen nothing but good reports from websites, brands, publications and businesses who’ve noticed a dramatic rise in traffic since everyone started crazily pinning everything in sight.

But, Pinterest is still keen to point out that it’s an issue it takes very seriously, as it explained in a blog post specifically about copyright yesterday:

“As a company, we care about respecting the rights of copyright holders. We work hard to follow the DMCA procedure for acting quickly when we receive notices of claimed copyright infringement. We have a form for reporting claims of copyright violations on our site here. Every pin has a flag to make reporting easier. We also know that copyright is a complicated and nuanced issue and we have knowledgable people who are providing lots of guidance.”

Despite the fact so many individuals and businesses alike are embracing Pinterest, signing up, pinning content and adding ‘Pin It’ buttons to their websites, the Pinterest team has decided to develop the option of adding a chunk of code onto any website if the owner would rather not have their content pinned.

For many this would seem like a crazy step when Pinterest has so far been beneficial for so many, but it is great to see the Pinterest team accommodating the select few that aren’t happy. Awh how thoughtful. As if we needed anymore reasons to heart the Pinterest team.

Of course if you really want to pin an image, you could just save it, upload it and then sneakily add it without crediting anyone. However, with so many embracing the ‘Pin It’ bookmarklet button, although it won’t be a surefire way to ensure content isn’t pinned, we can imagine it will work to discourage many.

Becca Caddy

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