I use Pinterest when I am doing research for a book. I look for images of folk dress that are likely to include whitework embroidery. And then I investigate further with the ones that interest me. I buy books, I use libraries, and I research in museum collections both physically and online.
I also use private Pinterest boards as a visual dumping ground for ideas, and visual reference.
Pinterest is fantastic.
However, Pinterest is also terrible.
Let’s consider this comment about a copied chart, made by an internet user (and I’m sure many think similarly, so I am not singling this one person out!): “It was on Pinterest? I thought they only allow charts which have approval of being posted?”
Ah no.
Pinterest couldn’t really care less.
Pinterest is a breeding ground for illegal charts that have been scanned and uploaded illegally. I know, because there are pages from my books there, and let me tell you, I most certainly did not allow them. (Please don’t go looking for them, and if you do happen across one, please let me know.) As copyright holder of my work, I have the right to disseminate my work. *I* do. No-one else does, unless I licence them to, and we have a written contract.
If you come across a chart on Pinterest, your default assumption should be that it is illegally placed there. If you like the chart, trace it back to it’s source, which if it leads to the designer/publisher, will mean you can pay them for their work by purchasing a legal copy (whether that is hard copy or, if they offer it, a download). If it is a “freebie” chart, then at least you’re acknowledging the designer by getting it from them. That’ll give them warm and fuzzies as their “payment” seeing they are not seeking monetary payment. (Here’s a tip, if you do download a “freebie” chart, write to the designer to thank them! Acknowledge their creativity and thank them for it!)
If you can’t trace a chart on Pinterest back to the designer/publisher, then it’s highly likely to be an illegal copy. Don’t touch it. Leave it there. And continue searching for a legal way to obtain a copy. If you download a copy of an illegally posted chart, you are breaking the law.
Pinterest (and other websites where illegal copies are available for download) really can be heartbreaking for designers. When our charts are illegally copied, we lose out. Designers are just normal people making their way in the world, expecting that they will be paid for work done. That’s what this is. It’s our work. It’s our creativity. And it really isn’t unreasonable that we should be paid for it. You’d be pretty upset if your employer decided not to pay you for a day’s work. Well, we are too.
Pinterest does remove illegal copies of work from Pinterest. However, they don’t have a team out there searching out illegal copies to remove them. They only remove them when a copyright report is filed by the designer/publisher or their agent. I could spend 24/7 of the rest of my life looking for and reporting illegal copies of my work. It’s heartbreaking. And if I actually want to earn some money for my work, I actually need to be working, not reporting.
Always make the assumption that charts found on Pinterest are illegal. If you like the chart, find a way to legally obtain a copy. Buy the book, buy the pattern or buy the chart. If you can’t find a way to legally obtain it, then tell yourself what my mother in law once said to me, “Just because I like something doesn’t mean I need to own it.”
Be legal. Be respectful.
Pinterest is fantastic. Pinterest is terrible.
White Threads is the blog of Yvette Stanton, the author, designer, publisher behind Vetty Creations' quality needlework books and embroidery products.
Very good advice! Also, be aware of composites or collage photos of other people’s photos or step-by-step tutorials and instructions. These collages normally take people to link farms full of collected images from other websites, rather than back to the original source.
While I also like Pinterest for many reasons – not the least of which is that it is a good source of legitimate traffic for any blogger working in arts and crafts – it is notoriously filled with copyright infringers whose primarily purpose is to get people to click through to websites full of nefarious links that the infringers are making money on. Going through the whole take-down notice thing is a royal pain in the ….neck. :-/
Another pet peeve – finding profiles on social media that use other people’s images for their profile avatar thingy. Drives me nuts!
Hmmmm. That turned into a rant, didn’t it?
The copyright issues are why we no longer offer links to Pinterest pages for our Fiber Talk guests. It’s a good idea, poorly executed. While there are many plusses to Pinterest, their lack of concern about protecting artists has cost many designers actual revenue and we’d prefer to simply stay away from it.
Gary
I’m so sorry (but, sadly, not surprised) that people are stealing your beautiful work, Yvette. It’s simply not fair to illegally share the hard work of designers. I have shared this blog post on my Creative Dabbling Facebook page to help spread the word to crafters and raise awareness of the issue.
Amen. Drives me nuts. I ban all mentions of Pinterest on Needlepoint Nation.
Thanks for your input, Mary. Rant away as much as you like… 🙂
That’s very interesting Gary. Something I perhaps need to look at too.
Thank you Erica.
I didn’t realise that – about the ban on NN. Sorry to mention it, though hopefully the way I did was ok! 🙂
Dear Yvette,
Thank you for an excellent blog post! Very well said. I am running a little experiment on my blog at the moment. I don’t like to offer freebies as I think it is normal to pay designers for their work. However, I am aware that freebies could probably drive new/more traffic to my blog :). So, I offer some freebies, but installed a paypal donation button at the same time. Let’s see what happens!
Keep up the good work! Jessica
I hope that works well for you, Jessica!
I refuse to open a Pinterest account for this very reason – they don’t act quickly on copyright breaches. I figure there’s enough inspiration out there on Instagram and Facebook, without needing Pinterest too.
I’m glad to see this discussion. When I first got on pinterest, I quickly became on the fence about it (it sounded good, but lacked any interest to the original post). it drove me absolutely nuts that it was nearly impossible to get back to the original page. I respect artists and designers and like to go back to their original page and not keep propagating copies. Now it seems like there is so much on pinterest that it has taken over google images. At one point I could do a google images search and then quickly transition to a legit page to get more information. Now over half the time, its a link to a pinterest rabbit hole. I find what I’m willing to use pinterest for keeps getting to a smaller and smaller list of tasks.
Hi Jodi, that’s what I’m finding with Google image searches too. It is quite frustrating.
Excellent post Yvette! Whilst I love looking through Pinterest, it drives me nuts when I see photos of work that I know are a particular artist’s work, but the website is anything but there’s. I know there are a few dodgy Russian ‘sites’ that do this, but all I can think to do is to not rep in their pins. Giving artists credit in this digital world is difficult- on Pinterest and on other sites. I just make sure (mainly on Facebook) that if something is clearly not credited appropriately I tell them so!
Hi Wendy, I’m quite conflicted over it. While I admire your stance, I find there are some very useful aspects of Pinterest. I love being able to make digital, visual resource collections, as they’re so helpful in my research because they link back to the source.
Thanks Catherine. I too always like to know that credit is given where credit is due. I once complained about this on a fashion FB page that posts pics of beautiful clothing, usually without credit to the designer. After my complaint, they have been a lot better with their credits. I think it is only right!
I agree with you, Yvette. It is wonderful and it is terrible.
The original purpose of Pinterest was to act as a virtual pinboard or mood board. To gather ideas as inspiration. Unfortunately, it has been highjacked by people who use it for unsavoury motives – as I suppose any other form of electronic media can be misused as well.
If used correctly, it can drive a lot of traffic to your blog posts and websites.
In the end, I think Pinterest is fantastic. Some Pinterest users are terrible. As usual, it is up to the individual user to be discerning.
That’s a good way to think about it, Ansie.