Social Media and Copyright

Facebook, Instagram and especially Pinterest are social media platforms that allow users to discover, share and save images and other media content to their virtual pin boards or scrolling sections. While they have been involved in copyright infringement cases in the past, it is important to note that they say the responsibility for copyright infringement lies primarily with the users who upload and share content on their platform.

Its pretty apparent that copyright infringement is common place and no one seems to fuss too much about it really. I guess there is the odd case of someone being called out and asked to take down content. Most people who create content don’t mind if its shared since this is more exposure. Do you check to see if attribution is necessary?

Although these companies take steps to address copyright concerns by providing tools for copyright owners to report infringing content and request its removal they don’t take responsibility for it being there. They also have a system in place known as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that allows copyright holders to submit take down notices for infringing material.

However, it is possible that copyrighted material can still be shared without permission from the rights holders, as is the case with many other platforms that rely on user-generated content. Social media platforms, face challenges in monitoring and preventing all instances of copyright infringement due to the vast amount of content shared by its users.

It is important for users to respect copyright laws and obtain appropriate permissions before sharing copyrighted content on any platform, including Pinterest. Likewise, it is essential for copyright owners to actively protect their rights by monitoring and reporting infringements when they occur. If it were the responsibility of the platform to make sure of any of this it would prevent the opportunity for them to be in operation most likely.