It is hard to measure how fast a speeding bullet is actually traveling. Let’s just say that so far Pinterest is traveling faster. It is now estimated to be one of the top 30 websites. But like the speeding bullet it is starting to come back to earth. The “gravity” is coming in the form of legal speculation around how to deal with copyright issues from “pinned” content.

What is Pinterest and what is its purpose? Many of us interpreted its reason for being as a place to share content gathered across the web that others would see, like and build on.  Another place to build a community of like minded individuals who all enjoy the same things. The obvious problem is that users have no idea of what is and what is not copyrighted material. Pinterest enthusiasts likened the website to posting photos on their personal refrigerators. Posting a printed photo of the concert you snapped illegally on your iphone camera isn’t going to cause any concern. It’s not the same thing when you pick up a copyrighted concert still image and put it out there to 10 million people.

It is a developing story but users may be opening themselves up to lawsuits. Pinterest protects itself by complying with the DMCA; the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which requires websites to pull content deemed in violation when notified. But if users start feeling like they exposed to legal risk through the platform many will re-evaluate how frequently and in what manner they use the site.

A recent statement from Pinterest included some new policies. Their recommendation is that users only “pin” content they create or have permission to use. This is quite a buzzkill. It will likely reduce the volume and quality and ultimately make viewing the site a lot less exciting. It is necessary to avoid lawsuits which would obviously be a catastrophic problem.

USA Today reported that even if Pinterest is entering some risky territory is will likely solve the legal issue and provide a contemporary way to share images. For now I guess we take a cue from President Obama.  Legal issues don’t seem to scare him.  His team of analysts has identified what specific demographics are using Pinterest. He is using targeted Pinterest boards to reach them.  It is fair to say that President Obama had access to better legal representation than most of us.  So for the rest of us; good luck and good pinning.