Pinterest and Plagiarism

I have never been a big “pinner” on Pinterest, far preferring the ease and interaction of Instagram and other social media platforms. Some people are very successful on Pinterest, with success being defined as marketing tool that draws large numbers of customers to their websites.

I have always approached Pinterest with some reservations.

When I had a Pinterest account, I pinned a total or three things, two of them motivational posters and the third, a mug rug (mini quilt used as a coaster/snack mat):

Lady of the Lake Mug Rug

Here is a better pictures of it in use at work :

At work, January 15, 2015

Imagine how I felt then I got the email from Pinterest this past Friday that the first picture had been repinned? Pretty stoked that someone resonated with my work.

Until I visited the board and found the pinner had posted it as her own. She even copied word for word the description that I wrote.

I have contacted her and I have contacted Pinterest. She deleted my comments asking for proper attribution. Pinterest send a standard email saying they can’t do anything about this.

I have always been leery of Pinterest for this very issue; not because I thought it would be me who was plagiarized, but because I was concerned if I pinned someone else’s work without their permission, I could end up on the receiving end of a take down notice and/or lawsuit.

(If I can find the blog post by a craft enthusiast who was sued for several thousand dollars because of images she pinned on Pinterest,  I will link to it.)

I have no recourse at this point but to turn this into an opportunity.

I have about a dozen of these mini quilts at the different offices where I work. Upon inspection of the one I had in hand when whining commiserating with a peer, it was suggested that I set up shop.

My Etsy will be open soon.