This sounds like a good idea. But my understanding is that if I link to the original website, I’m not violating copyright; if I link to a copy that I made, I am violating copyright. The penalty for violating copyright is larger than the penalty for poor etiquette.
The 1961 Report of the Register of Copyrights on the General Revision of the U.S. Copyright Law cites examples of activities that courts have regarded as fair use: “quotation of excerpts in a review or criticism for purposes of illustration or comment; quotation of short passages in a scholarly or technical work, for illustration or clarification of the author’s observations; use in a parody of some of the content of the work parodied; summary of an address or article, with brief quotations, in a news report; reproduction by a library of a portion of a work to replace part of a damaged copy; reproduction by a teacher or student of a small part of a work to illustrate a lesson; reproduction of a work in legislative or judicial proceedings or reports; incidental and fortuitous reproduction, in a newsreel or broadcast, of a work located in the scene of an event being reported.” [emphasis added]
Edit: Naturally, your point is apt—I’m just pointing out that there are fair-use exemptions that are often applicable. (I’m not sure hotlinking substantial amounts of copyrighted material is safe, but I Am Not A Lawyer.)
That’s a good point. Though I note that “fair use” is not something you can rely on ) in the US. Try releasing a documentary film where you can overhear someone walking past playing a Michael Jackson song for 10 seconds, and see how much protection fair use gives you.
This sounds like a good idea. But my understanding is that if I link to the original website, I’m not violating copyright; if I link to a copy that I made, I am violating copyright. The penalty for violating copyright is larger than the penalty for poor etiquette.
Are you in the U.S.? According to the U.S. Copyright Office:
Edit: Naturally, your point is apt—I’m just pointing out that there are fair-use exemptions that are often applicable. (I’m not sure hotlinking substantial amounts of copyrighted material is safe, but I Am Not A Lawyer.)
That’s a good point. Though I note that “fair use” is not something you can rely on ) in the US. Try releasing a documentary film where you can overhear someone walking past playing a Michael Jackson song for 10 seconds, and see how much protection fair use gives you.
Well, you might win your court case, but it won’t keep you from having to pay legal fees.