Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_003F_01BE26DE.53793480 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Tina, You have my sympathies, but I don't think there's a lot you can do. A = website such as yours is open to all comers and a link is merely one = person's recommendation that others take a look at your site. Since = they're not using your images in their site they're not infringing on = your copyrights. If you put your images on a site that is open to all, = you can't really question why people choose to visit it and view your = pictures - as distasteful as their reasons might be. BTW, I am an attorney but this is not an area I have any practical = experience in. Internet law is still in its infancy and is filled with = grey areas. I think a good analogy would be that if you published your = pictures in a book - protected by copyright - you really couldn't stop = anyone else from recommending that others buy your book, even if it was = for reasons you didn't agree with. Or, if someone made a movie that they = thought was good but was really horribly bad, they probably couldn't = stop a link from a site that promised "bad" movies. (Not in any way to = suggest that your photographs - which I looked at before writing this = and like a great deal - have anything qualitatively in common with bad = movies). When owners of websites start to say that it's okay for people to visit = their site for some reasons but not for others, the web ceases to be an = open environment. You could, of course, post some disclaimer or cautionary message on your = site.=20 Bryan=20 -----Original Message----- From: Tina Manley <images@InfoAve.Net> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us = <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Date: Sunday, December 13, 1998 8:54 PM Subject: [Leica] Legal links =20 =20 Dear LUGnuts: =20 I have already posted this question on PhotoPro and they are = debating it furiously. I would love to have your opinion also. What = can or should I do? =20 Someone alerted me that my web site was linked to something called = Boylinks at: =20 http://www.fpc.net/boylinks/picture.html=20 =20 I sent them an e-mail and asked them to remove the link. They sent = the following reply: =20 Dear Tina Manley, Boylinks provides links to sites that are already in the public = domain and=20 provide information (including images) of boys. For this reason your = site=20 qualified for inclusion. I must point out that while your site remains in the public domain I = am=20 unable to consider removing this link. yours sincerely, Blinker =20 =20 While my photographs on the site are copyrighted, the entire website = is not. What are my rights? Can they do this? =20 Thanks - =20 Tina =20 PhotoPro seems about evenly divided between "free speech"(they can = say whatever they want) and "libel"(they can't say anything about you = that you don't want them to). Since the site doesn't actually copy my = photos or the web site but only points to it, it isn't really a = copyright issue; however, I don't want my site linked to "Boylinks"! = What should I do? =20 Thanks for your help - =20 Tina =20 =20 =20 Tina Manley, ASMP =20 =20 http://www.photogs.com/manley/index.html http://members.tripod.com/~Tina_Manley/index.html=20 - ------=_NextPart_000_003F_01BE26DE.53793480 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D'"MSHTML 4.72.3510.1400"' name=3DGENERATOR> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Tina,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>You have my sympathies, but I don't think there's a = lot you=20 can do. A website such as yours is open to all comers and a link is = merely one=20 person's recommendation that others take a look at your site. Since = they're not=20 using your images in their site they're not infringing on your = copyrights. If=20 you put your images on a site that is open to all, you can't really = question why=20 people choose to visit it and view your pictures - as distasteful as = their=20 reasons might be.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>BTW, I am an attorney but this is not an area I have = any=20 practical experience in. Internet law is still in its infancy and is = filled with=20 grey areas. I think a good analogy would be that if you published your = pictures=20 in a book - protected by copyright - you really couldn't stop anyone = else from=20 recommending that others buy your book, even if it was for reasons you = didn't=20 agree with. Or, if someone made a movie that they thought was good but = was=20 really horribly bad, they probably couldn't stop a link from a site that = promised "bad" movies. (Not in any way to suggest that your=20 photographs - which I looked at before writing this and like a great = deal - have=20 anything qualitatively in common with bad movies).</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>When owners of websites start to say that it's okay = for people=20 to visit their site for some reasons but not for others, the web ceases = to be an=20 open environment.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>You could, of course, post some disclaimer or = cautionary=20 message on your site. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Bryan </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE=20 style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: = 5px"> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><B>-----Original = Message-----</B><BR><B>From:=20 </B>Tina Manley <<A=20 = href=3D"mailto:images@InfoAve.Net">images@InfoAve.Net</A>><BR><B>To: = </B><A=20 = href=3D"mailto:leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us">leica-users@mejac.palo-= alto.ca.us</A>=20 <<A=20 = href=3D"mailto:leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us">leica-users@mejac.palo-= alto.ca.us</A>><BR><B>Date:=20 </B>Sunday, December 13, 1998 8:54 PM<BR><B>Subject: </B>[Leica] = Legal=20 links<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>Dear LUGnuts:<BR><BR>I have already posted = this=20 question on PhotoPro and they are debating it furiously. I = would love=20 to have your opinion also. What can or should I = do?<BR><BR>Someone=20 alerted me that my web site was linked to something called Boylinks=20 at:<BR><BR><FONT color=3D#0000ff><U><A=20 href=3D"http://www.fpc.net/boylinks/picture.html" eudora =3D=20 autourl>http://www.fpc.net/boylinks/picture.html</A></FONT></U> = <BR><BR>I=20 sent them an e-mail and asked them to remove the link. They sent the = following reply:<BR><BR>Dear Tina Manley,<BR>Boylinks provides links = to=20 sites that are already in the public domain and <BR>provide = information=20 (including images) of boys. For this reason your site <BR>qualified = for=20 inclusion.<BR>I must point out that while your site remains in the = public=20 domain I am <BR>unable to consider removing this link.<BR>yours=20 sincerely,<BR>Blinker<BR><BR><BR>While my photographs on the site = are=20 copyrighted, the entire website is not. What are my rights? Can they = do=20 this?<BR><BR>Thanks -<BR><BR>Tina<BR><BR>PhotoPro seems about evenly = divided=20 between "free speech"(they can say whatever they want) and = "libel"(they can't say anything about you that you don't = want them=20 to). Since the site doesn't actually copy my photos or the web = site=20 but only points to it, it isn't really a copyright issue; however, I = don't=20 want my site linked to "Boylinks"! What should I=20 do?<BR><BR>Thanks for your help -<BR><BR>Tina<BR><BR><BR> <DIV>Tina Manley, ASMP</DIV><BR> <DIV><A href=3D"http://www.photogs.com/manley/index.html" EUDORA =3D = AUTOURL>http://www.photogs.com/manley/index.html</A></DIV><A=20 href=3D"http://members.tripod.com/~Tina_Manley/index.html" EUDORA = =3D=20 AUTOURL>http://members.tripod.com/~Tina_Manley/index.html</A>=20 </BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML> - ------=_NextPart_000_003F_01BE26DE.53793480--