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Post by Scott on Sept 13, 2007 22:33:27 GMT -8
Hotlinking is a hot subject right now!  Most of us are realizing for the first time, or being reminded, that hotlinking is not allowed on Proboards. What I understand hotlinking to be is using an image from another website using the [ img ] function. However, it is allowed as long as it is through a photo sharing website like photobucket. Not only are there copyright issues, but it is considered "stealing bandwidth". For example, my geocities account has a certain amount of bandwidth per hour. If too many (not many!) people visit my website and "download" (by viewing) my pages/text/photos, it will shut down. For larger website, webmasters pay for additional bandwidth. Every time a photo is "hotlinked" and it is viewed, it is using up bandwidth from the original location of that photo. Therefore it is considered stealing bandwidth. Apart from copyright issues, the proper way around this is to save a photo to your computer, then upload it to a photo sharing site, and then link the image to your photo sharing site - not the original url. Now for a question. I am going to hotlink this photo:  This is hotlinked from a website, not a photo sharing site. But it's my website and my bandwidth. Is Proboards (or anyone else who doesn't know about my site) going to consider this hotlinking? |
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Post by Ferryman on Sept 13, 2007 22:41:09 GMT -8
Thanks for mentioning this, John. I had no idea that hotlinking wasn't permitted, and it's something that I'll have to admit right now, that I've always done. Though I've only hotlinked photos that were within the resolution requirements. But the bandwidth part of it was something I had never considered. For now on, I'll go the extra couple of steps to save the photo, and upload it to my photo sharing site to post on here, to be considerate of the amount of bandwidth consumed from the original owners server, which he or she might be paying for.
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Post by WettCoast on Sept 13, 2007 22:51:52 GMT -8
Apart from copyright issues, the proper way around this is to save a photo to your computer, then upload it to a photo sharing site, and then link the image to your photo sharing site - not the original url. It seems to me that saving someone else's photo to your hard drive and then uploading to a photo sharing site is possibly a bigger sin (copyright infringement) than the 'hot linking' is. Might it be better just to post the link to the original URL and have people follow it if they so choose? |
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Sept 13, 2007 22:52:00 GMT -8
What part of the TOS prohibits hotlinking?
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Post by Scott on Sept 13, 2007 23:11:12 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 14, 2007 4:44:22 GMT -8
......adding to the list of photo-sharing websites to use: TinyPic, which is what I use. It's a 1-use service, meaning that you don't have an account and can't manage and re-use your group of pictures on the TinyPic site. But I have all my various pics (avatar, signature, etc) and banners saved and sized on my hard-drive, and so then it's easy and quick for me to upload to TinyPic on an as-demanded basis. www.tinypic.com/ |
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Sept 14, 2007 6:03:53 GMT -8
I would like to see what law makes it an illegal act within the state of california. John do you pay for bandwidth on your website? Also, if you have permission of the person or you pay to distribute the content, what is the problem with that? I find this quote from www.zathras.de/angelweb/donthotlink.htm"Popular usage restricts usage of the term "hot-linking" to doing this without obtaining prior permission" |
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Post by Northern Exploration on Sept 14, 2007 6:26:11 GMT -8
Since I am confused let me put it in my own words and you tell me if I am right or wrong. We commonly use hotlink in the marketing industry to describe a url address that you just click on to get to a website or a page or an image. But my understanding is that in this particular case we are talking about using an "img" that displays the picture/page etc. inside this forum. The first is not illegal but the second is? Correct or incorrect.
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Mill Bay
Voyager 
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,887 
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Post by Mill Bay on Sept 14, 2007 7:48:53 GMT -8
Modified due to hot-linking. Please host images using a site such as Photobucket, TinyURL, etc... Oops... that was my fault I guess for not reading the rules, but you guys missed one other post where I did that without knowing... I just went back and modified it. But on a few of these threads I've noticed if you right-click on an image, you will get a direct url back to an actual website. Our stamp-out-hotlinking crusade is new. In fact, I'm one of the worst offenders, and I've been penalized with pink as a result. But seriously, I'm having to change my ways with displaying IMG photos in my posts. In my investigating, I think I'm pretty sure the worst thread for hotlinking is the Neat Ferry Pics from the Net for what are most likely obvious reasons... because it's got photo links to places all over the net...  |
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Post by Retrovision on Sept 14, 2007 14:57:07 GMT -8
Apart from copyright issues, the proper way around this is to save a photo to your computer, then upload it to a photo sharing site, and then link the image to your photo sharing site - not the original url. It seems to me that saving someone else's photo to your hard drive and then uploading to a photo sharing site is possibly a bigger sin (copyright infringement) than the 'hot linking' is. Might it be better just to post the link to the original URL and have people follow it if they so choose? This certainly is a contentious issue and if it weren't for wanting to actually be able to place images in relavent threads, knowing that many won't link to them otherwise, I'd fully agree with you, Jim. On a personal note, I have little to no prolem with people placing photos of mine on their sites for the sake of posting as I've come to realize that the'll always be my intellectual property until I decide to sell the rights or change that status. The worst that I've encountered in photo-rights though was when someone was trying to steal my photos for profit by selling some on Ebay a long while back; This is what keeps me on the fence, but it has nothing to do with people using my photos when not for profit or exploitation, etc., in fact I've always encouraged people to use my work for good. |
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Post by Scott on Sept 14, 2007 20:47:02 GMT -8
Since I am confused let me put it in my own words and you tell me if I am right or wrong. We commonly use hotlink in the marketing industry to describe a url address that you just click on to get to a website or a page or an image. But my understanding is that in this particular case we are talking about using an "img" that displays the picture/page etc. inside this forum. The first is not illegal but the second is? Correct or incorrect. Just linking to a website or an image is okay since it doesn't use up the subject's bandwidth unless the link is clicked and the page/image is viewed in it's original context. An image hotlinked directly into the forum uses the subject's bandwidth every time the photo is downloaded (ie. viewed) on the forum. Answering PoliticalIncorrectness - Yes, I do pay for my webspace on www.westcoastferries.ca. However I have a high limit for bandwidth which has no danger of being exceeded at the present time:) If I did exceed it though, I would have to pay more. |
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Post by BreannaF on Sept 15, 2007 7:52:05 GMT -8
I've looked around at this hotlinking issue, and it appears that the only action that should not happen is linking to a picture on someone else's website without their permission. I also have my own site that I use for posting things like eBay pictures and forum pictures (and that my wife uses for testing things on websites that she produces for others). It appears that by the letter of the law, as long as I am linking to my own site, there is no foul. On the other hand, there is one thing I see as a potential issue. If ProBoards were going to attempt to enforce some sort of "no hotlinking" rule, how would they ever know that westcoastferries.ca is your site or that electricstar.net is my own site without doing a lot of research? That is what I see as the question here. I just don't see how they could enforce this rule. Other than perhaps by doing it the way eBay does -- by enforcing on a case-by-case basis as each complaint comes in. (BTW: If I need ti move to a free pic site, let me know. I don't want to rock the boat.)  |
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Post by Balfour on Sept 15, 2007 9:39:09 GMT -8
On the other hand, there is one thing I see as a potential issue. If ProBoards were going to attempt to enforce some sort of "no hotlinking" rule, how would they ever know that westcoastferries.ca is your site or that electricstar.net is my own site without doing a lot of research? ProBoards will only check our board if someone reports a violation. They should know that Westcoastferries.ca is John's site because there's a link at the top of the main page. As for those of you with websites, I recommend showing your website in your profile. |
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Post by Mac Write on Sept 17, 2007 21:50:34 GMT -8
All the photos I link here are from www.smugmug.com It's next to impossible to find the original owner as all the images are a number at /photo/XXXXXXXXXXX. |
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Post by Balfour on Sept 18, 2007 11:37:49 GMT -8
That's fine. As long as your photos are on a recognized image hosting site with your account then there shouldn't be a problem. You don't need to worry because you mark your photos anyways.
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Most of us are realizing for the first time, or being reminded, that hotlinking is not allowed on Proboards. What I understand hotlinking to be is using an image from another website using the [ img ] function. However, it is allowed as long as it is through a photo sharing website like photobucket. 
