May we legally use photos from Pinterest on a hub? Is it public domain material

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   Pamela Kinnaird Wposted 11 years ago

   May we legally use photos from Pinterest on a hub?  Is it public domain material?
   
   Some of the photographs on Pinterest, for instance of birds, show who the original photograher was.  Can we legally use a photograph from Pinterest if we attribute the photo to the named person and also state it was from the Pinterest site?  And what about if there is no original photographer named with the photo we would like to use?

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   SmartAndFunposted 11 years ago

   If you follow the links on the Pinterest photos you want to use, and find that they have Creative Commons licenses, then you could certainly use them. Otherwise, I don't think this is a good idea, unless there is a link to the photographer -- not so that you can simply put the link in your hub next to the photo, but so that you can contact the photographer and ask them for permission to use their work in your hub. Linking and/or attributing is not enough; you need permission. Think of it in terms of your writing -- you'd be mad if someone copy/pasted your work onto their blog or website without your knowledge and permission. Same with photos.
   
   There are all millions of average, everyday people on Pinterest, and my guess is many of them, if not most, do not have any clue that they cannot post photos which are not theirs willy-nilly as they please. Just because someone has used a photo on Pinterest doesn't mean they used it legally. I would imagine Pinterest is filled with illegally used images.
   
   I have gotten to the point that I only use my own images, or I find one on Wikimedia Commons or Flickr Creative Commons or some other site where I can sort photos by license, and choose only photos with a Creative Commons license.

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   1. 87

      Pamela Kinnaird Wposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Good information, thanks!  I only use Wikimedia Commons or Creative Commons or obtain the permission directly from a photographer. On Pinterest I neglected to study or copy any of the Agreement wording, so I wasn't at all sure.  Thanks again.

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   Everyday Miraclesposted 11 years ago

   The safest answer to this question is "no, you can't." Using a site that offers creative commons material is the easiest way to find photos to use. Flickr is a good example of one such site.

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   1. 87

      Pamela Kinnaird Wposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your reply.

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