Copyright provides a set of exclusive rights for the creators of original works of authorship (e.g., books, music, or art). This often includes the right to make a copy of the work, display or perform it publicly, distribute it, create derivative works, and other rights that may vary by country. Copyright protection doesn’t cover facts or ideas, but it does protect the original words or images that express an idea.

You can find more information about copyright law at the U.S. Copyright Office website or the World Intellectual Property Organization website.

Copyright ownership

A copyright is generally owned by whomever creates the work. In some cases, the owner may be someone else if the work was created by an employee or contractor. A copyright owner can also transfer ownership of the copyright to others.

Note that owning or possessing a physical work doesn’t necessarily mean that you own the copyright in that work. For example, buying a collection of old photographs doesn’t necessarily mean you own the copyright in those images (though you may). In addition, if you’re in a photo that someone else took, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re the copyright owner of that photo.

That said, if there is a photo of you that you'd like removed, you might want to consider submitting a privacy complaint, which may address privacy or harassment concerns, among others. Please submit these privacy requests directly from Pinterest's Help Center contact form available at http://help.pinterest.com/contact/.

Where necessary, permission to use a given image or video that you find on Pinterest should be sought from its copyright holder. Pinterest does not have any information about who owns the copyright of a given Pin, and we are unfortunately unable to provide any information about how to get in touch with the respective copyright holder.

 

Copyright infringement reports

If you believe that your copyright is being infringed by content on Pinterest and you’d like to have that content removed, you can submit a copyright report to us using our reporting form, or by sending your report to our designated agent:

Pinterest Copyright Agent

651 Brannan Street

San Francisco, CA 94107-1532

Fax: +1 415 762 7100

Email: copyright [at] pinterest.com (copyright[at]pinterest[dot]com) 

Only the owner of a copyright (or an authorized agent acting on a copyright owner’s behalf) can submit a copyright report. Before submitting a copyright report, please consider whether you are the copyright owner of that content.

If you'd prefer not to use our reporting form, please send the following information to our designated copyright agent: 

  • Identification of the copyrighted work you believe has been infringed.
  • Identification of the content on Pinterest you claim to be infringing your rights, including the information we need to help us find it, like the URL to the content on Pinterest.
  • Your mailing address, phone number and email address.
  • Both of these statements in the body of your notice:
    • "I hereby state that I have a good faith belief that the disputed use of the copyrighted material or reference or link to such material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law (for example, as a fair use)."
    • "I hereby state that the information in this notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that I’m the owner, or authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright or of an exclusive right under the copyright that’s allegedly infringed."
  • Your full legal name and your electronic or physical signature (for example, by typing your full name).
  • If the work you’re reporting is an image, you can ask us to remove all copies of the image. At the beginning of your report, just ask us to “remove all Pins that contain the image.” Please note that we can only remove identical copies of an image, so if an image file has been resized or altered, we won’t be able to find or remove it. 

    When you submit a report, make sure that the information provided is true and accurate. Knowingly submitting false copyright infringement reports can result in liability for damages under section 512(f) of the DMCA or similar laws in other countries.

    For more information about our Copyright Policy, and how to submit a copyright report, visit our policy page here: https://policy.pinterest.com/copyright.

    Repeat Infringers

    Pinterest respects the intellectual property rights of others and we expect people on Pinterest to do the same. It’s our policy—in appropriate circumstances and at our discretion—to disable or terminate the accounts of people who repeatedly infringe copyrights or other intellectual property rights. Actions against such users may also include temporary suspension of their ability to post content, among other things. Users whose Pins are removed pursuant to copyright infringement reports receive strikes towards Pinterest’s repeat infringer policy.

    Counter Notifications

    If you believe your content was removed in error, you have the option to file a counter notification to request that content be reinstatedWhen we get a complete and valid counter notification, we’ll forward it to the party that reported that content. The information they receive will include your contact information, which they may use to contact you directly or to take further action they find appropriate. If the reporter does not notify us that they have filed an action in court or before the Copyright Claims Board seeking an order to keep the content down, we will reinstate the content. This process can take up to 14 business days. 

    Note: There are potential legal and financial consequences for fraudulent or bad faith counter notifications. Before submitting a counter notification, make sure you have a good faith belief that we removed the content in error, and that you understand the repercussions of false submissions.

    If you want to appeal the application of a strike but don’t wish that the content be reinstated, you can provide details on circumstances you believe warrant removing a strike, and we’ll review your submission and take appropriate action.

    For more information about counter notices and specific instructions on how to file one, please visit our copyright page.

    Trademark claim policies

    Copyrights and trademarks are two different types of intellectual property. Trademark law protects things like brand names and logos from being used in a way that might cause confusion about the source of goods or services in commerce. To learn more about our trademark policies and report content that infringes your trademark, please visit our trademark page.

    End of Other articles Links
    Still need help? Contact us
    User feedback
    Was this article helpful?

    collection_fields

    How can we make this article better?