It appears Pinterest is going the way of Facebook.
Pinterest, the increasingly popular pinboard-style photo sharing website, is under siege by a lawsuit that claims the entire concept was stolen. Theodore F. Schroeder, a former business partner of Pinterest creator, Brian Cohen, alleges the most fundamental aspects of the site was his original concept.
Pinterest was the fastest site in history to reach 10 million organic users, a massive membership that quickly turned lucrative financially. Pinterest’s growth shows little sign of slowing, suggesting the site could potentially become as profitable as sites like Twitter. Schoeder claims his original vision should entitle him to a portion of the success the site will no doubt continue to achieve as it continues to mature.
The lawsuit makes claim the original concept for Pinterest is ripped from a site called Rendezvoo. Purportedly, the framework for Rendezvoo allowed users to share opinions and aspects relating to general interest; it’s easy to see how an overlap with Pinterest would be perceived although the original site carries a broader scope.
Pinterest has since denied the allegations that the concept for the site was stolen. The company is positioning itself for an inevitable legal battle, a spokesperson describing the lawsuit as ‘baseless’. It remains to be seen whether Schroeder will be compensated for what he claims fostered the success of Pinterest overall.