Are there limits to linking?

sylvie

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Are there limits to the amount of material we can post from a link or internet published source? I think I recall from somewhere that only 10% of an article can be copied to a forum without legal ramifications. This also applies to direct quotes to accompany a link.

I have noticed lengthy excerpts lately and have tried to stay within the 10% rule. So is there a 10% rule? Any limit?
 

2dream

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Not sure about the laws totally. I have always operated under the assumption that as long as the work is not passed off as yours and you give the proper credit, and its on the internet you can link to it.

Here is the first site I came across on a quick legal search. There appears to be lots of them, this was just the first one that popped up.

http://www.bitlaw.com/internet/linking.html#What
 

sylvie

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I know we can link to material, but I am more concerned with the excerpts and quotes.
For example; if I want to link to a CNN article, no problem. But if I want to include a portion of the body of the article in my post, then I thought I could only type or cut and paste 10%, despite including the link or crediting the author.
Maybe I am not wording this well or have outdated information.
I'll do a search.
:/
 

2dream

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I did not word what I was thinking very well either. My understanding is: If its on the internet - free for all to read.
You can copy and paste the whole thing as long as you credit where it came from. After all, its posted on the internet for all to view free of charge.

If its a book or article that is on the internet but at a pay to view site you can not. I don't know about the 10% here because it is a copywrited, pay to view site. I would be very leary about posting any of it without permission.
 

Wifezilla

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There is no such thing as a 10% rule
Just because it is on the internet does NOT mean you can use it however you want
There is a term called FAIR USE. It refers to the non-commercial use of someone else's material such as posting a portion of an article.

"The "fair use" exemption to (U.S.) copyright law was created to allow things such as commentary, parody, news reporting, research and education about copyrighted works without the permission of the author. That's vital so that copyright law doesn't block your freedom to express your own works -- only the ability to appropriate other people's. Intent, and damage to the commercial value of the work are important considerations. Are you reproducing an article from the New York Times because you needed to in order to criticise the quality of the New York Times, or because you couldn't find time to write your own story, or didn't want your readers to have to register at the New York Times web site? The first is probably fair use, the others probably aren't.

Fair use is generally a short excerpt and almost always attributed. (One should not use much more of the work than is needed to make the commentary.) It should not harm the commercial value of the work -- in the sense of people no longer needing to buy it (which is another reason why reproduction of the entire work is a problem.) Famously, copying just 300 words from Gerald Ford's 200,000 word memoir for a magazine article was ruled as not fair use, in spite of it being very newsworthy, because it was the most important 300 words -- why he pardoned Nixon. "

http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
How much of an article that it is ok to post is actually in heavy dispute right now
Since many authors get paid per click, it is a courtesy to link to the original post and not include the entire article
 

Aliciaowens

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You should avoid having too many hyperlinks (generally more than 100) on any particular page. Many people have inquired how we came up with the number 100 and if it is a strict limit or simply a guideline.
 
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