Greensboro, NC -- When I ask my friends, "Hey were did you get the idea to do that recipe or that home decor idea?", the answer is almost always Pinterest.
A quick Pinterest 101: it's the bulletin board of today.
Instead of tearing pages from magazines and recipe books and sticking them on a cluttered bulletin board in your house,
you now can now do it on your computer, it's a virtual bulletin board.
The idea is, you pin an image on your board and share it. But a lot of pinners don't know what they're sharing is illegal.
You need to read the fine print of Pinterest in their terms of use which was just updated in April.
"A lot of individuals are posting photographs that are not theirs that it could cost you if you share the wrong image," says Intellectual Property attorney Sherri Blount.
"They've not gotten permission from the owners to post. And they are, technically, infringing on the copyrights of that owner of that photograph," she adds.
The Pinterest website essentially says it's on you the user to get permission to post any photos. And if someone comes after Pinterest, they can come after you.
You should check out the Pinterest Etiquette page. But here is a quick look at pinning without legal problems.
First: if you see an image that you like (example the picture of cakes I made for a friend recently) and you want to pin it.
But when you click the image, this message pop ups, it means the usesr has blocked you. Stop. Don't try and figure out how to get it. It is not yours to use in any form or fashion.
Second: if you see an image and the site allows you to copy it, just make sure you put a credit on where you got it. .
And Third: if you are on a facebook page or twitter page and you see a Pinterest "pin" button or a share button, the image is yours to use.
