FC: Slashdot's Robin Miller: Linking should be etiquette, not law

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Tue May 14 2002 - 13:40:08 PDT

  • Next message: Declan McCullagh: "FC: Agfa DMCA debate: Charles Platt vs. Matt Deatherage"

    Previous Politech message:
    
    "'Runner's World' threatens suit over printer-friendly deep links"
    http://www.politechbot.com/p-03526.html
    
    I've interviewed the LetsRun.com folks. I don't have my notes in front of 
    me, but they I believe they told me the printer-friendly version was the 
    only available or stable link to the runnersworld.com article at the time 
    they made it.
    
    -Declan
    
    ---
    
    Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 14:35:22 -0400
    From: robin <robinat_private>
    To: declanat_private
    Subject: Deep linking should be a matter of etiquette, not law
    
    Slashdot and other OSDN sites are notorius for running outbound links -- 
    they're a large part of our daily content -- but we always make sure we 
    link to ad-laden pages on commercial sites instead of directly to images or 
    to pages that do not allow their publishers some benefit from our link to them.
    
    We are not necessarily under any legal obligation to do this, but we feel 
    that to do otherwise is not ethical behavior, any more than it would be 
    right for us to publish someone else's site content  under our headers (and 
    ads) instead of under the original ones.
    
    While I sympathize with small sites that get lawyer threats from big ones, 
    which seems to be a depressingly common pattern, I think it is also 
    important for small sites to follow good netiquette and try to link nicely 
    in a "win - win" way rather than doing anything that looks like they are 
    appropriating content without permission.
    
    - Robin "Roblimo" Miller
       Editor in Chief, OSDN
       (Linux.com, Newsforge.com,
       freshmeat.net, Slashdot.org,
       DaveCentral.com, and other
       popular tech Web sites)
    
    ---
    
    From: "George M. Ellenburg" <georgeat_private>
    Organization: The Ellenburg Family - http://www.ellenburg.org/
    To: declanat_private
    Subject: Re: FC: "Runner's World" threatens suit over printer-friendly deep 
    links
    Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 14:34:29 -0400
    
    Companies are going through this because they want to force thier viewers to
    see the ads.
    
    I envision a day when it will become law for people to view ads, and a
    violation of the DMCA to avoid them:
    
    Sometime, in the year 2050...
    
    "Computer?" the stoic man asked.
    
    "Yes, John?"
    
    "What's my current account balance?"
    
    "One moment John, while I access that information for you.  While we're
    waiting for the information to come in, X-10 would like me to tell you about
    their new wireless camera.  Now, more than ever, it will be easier for you to
    spy on your girlfriend, or plant these microscopic cameras in the shower to
    get an ant's -eye view of your friends and family."
    
    "Computer, just give me my account balance, please."  John replied, more
    sternly.
    
    "Very well, John.  While we're waiting for that information to come in, are
    you happy with the length of your penis?  Advances in medical technology have
    evolved to the point where you can have the penis of a porn-star!"
    
    "Computer?"
    
    "Yes, John."
    
    "Are you ever going to give me my account balance?"
    
    "Absolutely, John."
    
    "Then please give it to me."
    
    "Very well, John.  While we're waiting for that information to come in, did
    you know that for only $256.00 I could download 6 billion Email addresses
    which are guaranteed to be valid for telling the world about your products
    and services?"
    
    "Computer?"
    
    "Yes, John."
    
    "Forget the bank balance."
    
    "Very well, John."
    
    "Computer?"
    
    "Yes, John?"
    
    "Please give me the latest headlines from the New York Times."
    
    "Very well, John.  While we're waiting for that information to come in,
    Snapple wants me to inform you of their latest soft-drink.  New
    Passion-Punch, Pink-Polka, Prune-Juice Supreme!  Featuring all-natural
    irradiated preserved ingredients, Passion-Punch, Pink-Polka, Prune-Juice
    Supreme is guaranteed to whet your thirst!"
    
    "Computer?"
    
    "Yes, John?"
    
    "Contact AOL, let them know I wish to cancel my service."
    
    "I'm sorry, John.  I can't do that."
    
    "Why not?"
    
    "Because that would be in violation of your contract to be exposed to the
    multi-media marketing."
    
    "But I don't want to be exposed to anymore multi-media marketing."
    
    "You have no choice."
    
    "What do you mean?"
    
    "All citizens of the new Republic are required by law to be exposed to
    multi-media marketing."
    
    "Since when?"
    
    "Since television became obsolete thirty years ago."
    
    "What does that have to do with me?"
    
    "Advertisers turned to other media outlets to get their message across, but
    since most people were ignoring ads, or deep-linking to articles which were
    bypassing the advertisers' message, the United States Congress and World
    Trade Organization, passed legislation requiring all new computers to be
    equipped with mandatory multi-media marketing presentation devices.  To
    bypass such devices, or inhibit the transmission of marketing material, would
    be indirect violation of the Digital Melennium Copyright Act of 1998, and as
    ammended in 2005."
    
    "But I'm sick of the ads."
    
    "Ads are good for you.  They inform you of the products and services which are
    available for you to purchase."
    
    "Computer?"
    
    "Yes, John."
    
    "Good bye."
    
    And with that, John proceeded to pull out the 9mm Glock handgun his great,
    great, grandfather gave him for his 16th birthday, and pulled the trigger.
    
    "John?" asked the computer.  "John?"
    
    But John was no more.
    
    "John, I know you're still here."  the computer said.  "Did you know that you
    can fly to Paris on the new Concorde, for only $15,277.44?  This includes
    three nights and two days, and all meals."
    
    But John was no more.
    
    "John?" said the computer.  "I have your bank balance now.  You have $2,113.88
    in your checking account.
    
    "John?
    
    "John?
    
    "John, Microsoft's new Operating System, Windows DRM-2050 will be in stores on
    June 4th.  You really should upgrade, John.
    
    "John?
    
    "John?"
    
    -- 
    George M. Ellenburg <georgeat_private>
    <http://www.ellenburg.org/>
    3 Years and counting of being 100% Microsoft-free; and much more productive.
    Proud user of ASK <http://www.paganini.net/ask/>, the Active Spam Killer!
    
    ---
    
    
    
    
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