Flickr adds Pinterest opt-out code to copyrighted photos

Photo-sharing site Flickr has added Pinterest's new opt-out code to all Flickr pages with copyrighted or protected images, according to a VentureBeat story published Friday night.

Yahoo-owned Flickr did not immediately return an e-mail seeking confirmation on the move, but the site reportedly told VentureBeat that the code appears on all "non-public/non-safe pages, as well as when a member has disabled sharing of their Flickr content.... This means only content that is 'safe,' 'public,' and has the sharing button enabled can be pinned to Pinterest."

The virtual pinboard site, which is still in private beta, has grown at breakneck speed. And with that growth has come concerns about copyright violation. That led Pinterest earlier this week to release opt-out code that tells pinners: "This site doesn't allow pinning to Pinterest. Please contact the owner with any questions. Thanks for visiting!"

The premise behind Pinterest is for users to gather, organize, and share things they find on the Web, such as home decorations, clothing, and food. The end result is curated pinboards that are meant to help friends discover new items or get inspiration.

Update, February 25, 12:32 p.m. PT: Flickr provided CNET with the following statement:

Flickr takes privacy and content ownership very seriously and is committed to continue to build features that protect members' photos and videos. Flickr has implemented the tag and it appears on all non-public/non-safe pages, as well as when a member has disabled sharing of their Flickr content. This means only content that is "safe," "public," and has the sharing button (e.g., also for Facebook, Twitter) enabled can be pinned to Pinterest.