The capacity to browse indefinitely between webpages in order to gather information is among the web’s many miracles. Linking — providing hyperlinks to material in webpages that drive viewers straight to another website – is one method site owners encourage this. In exchange, they aim to earn inbound links from other websites that connect to theirs, boosting their traffic and SEO. However, site owners seldom seek approval from the corporation to do so, and as a result, they run the danger of breaking copyright rules.
In most cases, the “link” or “hyperlink” is a way for a website to communicate to another site. This is a clickable word or picture that takes the visitor to a specified page on some other webpage when clicked.
Is Linking Illegal?
Over time, a few lawsuits have been opened to claim copyright infringement. But in most cases, the rulings have found the deep hyperlinks to website pages do not infringe on anyone’s copyright, neither do they trespass.
The situation can change if you knowingly place a link while infringing another person’s copyright. For instance, if you place a link to your webpage that has pirated music and movies, you could be sued for infringing in another person’s copyright. This form of liability is known as contributory infringement. But you could escape the law if you can prove that a link infringed on another person.
Key Pointers before Linking Another Website
- Do not copy content from a second webpage and place on your webpage without permission.
- Do not include another site’s logo on your site without permission.
- Do not cover the original content using your age.
- If you wish to increase traffic, using inbound links from an external, 3rd party website.
Even tiny samples of text in hyperlink titles can be protected by copyright, and key terms and domains are analogous to copyrights. It is recommended that you request approval and consider issuing a disclaimer explaining that the webpages you link to or integrate are not commercially related to yours.
