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Pinterest updates its terms of service, simplifies copyright complaints

Pinterest updates its terms of service, simplifies copyright complaints

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Pinterest is rolling out a new terms of service, privacy policy, and acceptable use policy that will go into effect on April 6th. The new terms no longer grant Pinterest the right to sell its users content — something the company said it never intended to do in the first place. In addition, the site now has a ban on content "explicitly encourage self-harm or self-abuse."

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Pinterest, a hugely popular photo-sharing startup, is still in an invite-only beta — even though it had 17.8 million unique US visitors in February. With all those users come some growing pains, so the company is rolling out a new terms of service, privacy policy, and acceptable use policy that will go into effect on April 6th. The new terms no longer grant Pinterest the right to sell its users content — something the company said it never intended to do in the first place. In addition, the site now has a ban on content that "explicitly encourage self-harm or self-abuse."

The company says that the new terms prepare the site for new features like an upcoming API and the ability to make Pinboards private, but there's still a concern over copyright infringement. Pinterest previously made a bit of code available to let websites block users from pinning content (something Flickr has implemented to its private albums), but sites have been hesitant to turn away what may be a valuable stream of pageviews. With the new terms, Pinterest has simplified how owners file copyright claims — though its not clear precisely how the company's changed the process, which requires parties to fill out a form identifying the infringing work and provide their contact info. A more robust takedown system might be enough to shield the company from lawsuits from copyright owners — if it can stay on top of what will likely be a steady stream of infringement claims.