Is Pinterest Profitable for Your Business?

Pinterest is the hottest topic in social media trends today. At least in terms of bloggers jumping in to classify what it is and what this means. So, today I clicked on over and signed up for a Pinterest account. Just to be clear, what I write is based on Atilus’ desire to focus on web trends and topics that will help your business grow. Right now, we’re on the fence with Pinterest because of the hot water they’re in, and the risks that you could face.

Copyright Infringement can Happen to ANYONE!

According to a recent report from CBS News, Pinterest has tightened up their terms of service to address the copyright infringement incubator that their service fosters. Take a look at what prescient writer Erik Sherman wrote:

To that end, Pinterest has more recently geared up to monetize traffic, as TechCrunch’s Colleen Taylor reports. Unfortunately, given that consumers are putting masses of copyrighted photos onto their boards, that becomes a problem. After all, Pinterest doesn’t want to take the legal heat for making coin on the backs of someone else’s intellectual property, so it’s always made users responsible for posting only that which they had a right to use. But an update of its terms of service late on Friday made that abundantly clear.

If you are a business owner considering jumping into the Pinterest trend, be careful about copyright infringement.

One of Our Favorites Breaks it Down

To add a layer to this discussion, I’d encourage you to visit Seth Godin’s post about fair use laws in the United States. Our advice when it comes to posting something on Pinterest that you are unsure of, DON’T. Don’t risk your business becoming a target of corporate lawyers just to jump on the social media trend that Pinterest has sparked. Take a look, but look closely.

Especially before your business takes the risk of the leap.