Pinterest TOS Changes Remove Their Right To Sell Content, Hint At API & Private Pinboards

Pinterest’s terms of service are changing, and changing for the better. A very straightforward email was sent out to Pinterest users today notifying them of upcoming changes to the terms that will become effective on April 6th.  Some of the language changes were implemented due to two big feature changes, private pinboards and a Pinterest API.

The notice had 4 main sections that were changing:

1. Our original Terms stated that by posting content to Pinterest you grant Pinterest the right for to sell your content. Selling content was never our intention and we removed this from our updated Terms.

2. We updated our Acceptable Use Policy and we will not allow pins that explicitly encourage self-harm or self-abuse.We released simpler tools for anyone to report alleged copyright or trademark infringements.

3. Finally, we added language that will pave the way for new features such as a Pinterest API and Private Pinboards.

The terms that had been causing the biggest stir were the sections granting Pinterest the ability to sell user’s content.  Here are the old Pinterest terms:

By making available any Member Content through the Site, Application or Services, you hereby grant to Cold Brew Labs a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free license, with the right to sublicense, to use, copy, adapt, modify, distribute, license, sell, transfer, publicly display, publicly perform, transmit, stream, broadcast, access, view, and otherwise exploit such Member Content only on, through or by means of the Site, Application or Services.

and the new Pinterest terms, effective April 6th:

Subject to any applicable account settings you select, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable, worldwide license to use, display, reproduce, re-pin, modify (e.g., re-format), re-arrange, and distribute your User Content on Pinterest for the purposes of operating and providing the Service(s) to you and to our other Users. (Section 1b)

This is a strong and very open move from Pinterest that should help calm any fears that users may have.  For more information see the new Pinterest terms of service.