Pin pain. As a primarily visual social media platform whose self-described purpose is to help users bookmark and save "good stuff you find anywhere around the web," Pinterest has raised copyright infringement questions since it became explosively popular in 2012. In many cases, copyright owners are happy to have their images "pinned" on the site, particularly where the copyright owner posted the image for advertising purposes in the first place. Pinned images appear in the Pinterest feeds of the pinner's followers, and can drive traffic to the copyright owners' own websites. But it doesn't always work that way, says Christopher Boffoli, a fine art photographer who is suing Pinterest. "Much of my work is pinned to Pinterest without attribution, which throws out the window the common trope about this kind of use gaining me 'exposure'," says Boffoli, whose images have been pinned more than 5,000 times. Boffoli further argues that, contrary to the platform's promise to "respond expeditiously to claims of copyright infringement," the site is still riddled with his copyrighted images. The photography blog PetaPixel reports that a trial date for Boffoli's suit is set for early 2016.
Connecting the data deprived. A new messaging app called Jott is targeting text-message-loving teenagers who have iOS or Android mobile devices, but no data plans. And, judging by the app's success—Jott is attracting up to 20,000 new users a day—the ranks of the data deprived are legion. Launched in March and already boasting half a million users, Jott allows users who have the app installed on their devices to text each other within 100 feet. Jott's founder, Jared Allgood, started testing the app at a few schools and it took off, serving as an oasis for tech-deprived students in some of the many U.S. public schools that are practically mobile data deserts. The app eliminates the need for cell towers and Wi-Fi routers by turning users' individual devices into "de facto cell towers," Forbes explains, using a technology called mesh networking. Jott isn't the first messaging app to circumvent the need for an Internet connection or data plan—FireChat, for example, does that too and has been used at events like Burning Man. But Jott is unique in that it allows users to send direct messages to individuals rather than to whole groups.
Only a social smoker? Here's some news for those naysayers who are convinced that no good can come of society's obsession with social media: According to a study from the University of Waterloo, 32% of the 19- to 29-year-old Canadian smokers polled were able to stop lighting up for 30 days after three months of using an app or online tool meant to help them kick the habit. Experts predicted the potential helpfulness of these smoking-cessation apps, whose features are varied. Some of the apps appeal to a smoker's competitive side by pitting the user against fellow smokers who are also trying to quit, while others send signals to the smoker's friends who can then intervene when the smoker approaches a potential trigger. Success, the experts say, may depend on finding an app that's a good fit, so hopefuls should try several. The websites of both niche publications and mainstream media periodicals list and review several of the best. And, in other news, The Onion reports that smoking is fine as long as you only do it when you drink.
Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.
© Morrison & Foerster LLP. All rights reserved
