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Blipfoto blocks Pinterest over copyright concerns

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By Cameron Clarke, Editor

February 22, 2012 | 2 min read

Photo sharing service Blipfoto has blocked its users' content from being shared on Pinterest over concerns the site infringes copyright.

Pinterest, which allows users to post pictures and other content on what is effectively their own 'virtual pinboard', has enjoyed a huge burst in popularity in recent months.

But it has also come in for criticism because its users can 'pin' copyrighted content from other sites without having to ask for permission.

Now Edinburgh-based Blipfoto, a daily photo journal, has opted-out of Pinterest to protect the copyright of its contributors.

In a statement on its blog, Blipfoto said: "In its current form, Pinterest crosses this line, takes control away from our contributors and potentially infringes their copyright - something we've always worked hard to protect.

"For these reasons, we've now blocked Blipfoto content from being posted to Pinterest."

Blipfoto said its problem with Pinterest is that each time a user 'pins' something, Pinterest takes a full-size copy of the image from the original source and stores it on its own servers.

"In short, they seem to be copying vast amounts of data, in many cases without the owners' consent," Blipfoto wrote.

In light of recent criticism Pinterest has offered websites owners the choice to opt-out by adding a line of code to their site.

In a blog post Pinterest co-founder Ben Silbermann wrote: "We understand and respect that sometimes site owners do not want any of their material pinned. For these folks, we provide a snippet of code that can be added to any website."

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