Hot linking images

SC brought this up in another post, regarding hot linking images from another sight and do we need to provide a link along with the image? I always wonder about the copyright or legality of "hot linking" images from another site. It sounds like it is ok, and web servers can block this practice if they choose to, but who knows with all the copyright trolls running around these days.
So SC is it ok? I see a lot of us doing it. Right click properties or "copy image location" does reveal the source.

Here is wiki's take on it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inline_linking

Copyright law issues that inline linking raises

The most significant legal fact about inline linking, relative to copyright law considerations, is that the inline linker does not place a copy of the image file on its own Internet server. Rather, the inline linker places a pointer on its Internet server that points to the server on which the proprietor of the image has placed the image file. This pointer causes a user's browser to jump to the proprietor's server and fetch the image file to the user's computer. US courts have considered this a decisive fact in copyright analysis. Thus, in Perfect 10, Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc.,[5] the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit explained why inline linking did not violate US copyright law:

From what I've been reading, hot-linking annoys the web site source because it increases their traffic or data without getting actual visitors, but it does not seem to be illegal (??), and can be stopped with proper html coding. Making a copy of an image and putting it on image shack or facebook, etc. could be a copyright issue, depends on ownership of the pic.

I remember reading about the Boulder flying bear picture, the original photographer was complaining when the picture went viral without him getting credit.

I only hot link when it comes off of a site that is going to get traffic from us from an article that we posted part of. I make sure that I am trying to get the reader to go to the said site anyway.

I have called the denverpost and other stations to ask what they want and they have not bothered to call back. We did talk to a couple of sites on some other uses and got permission but forums are different. Forums are about getting discussion and our sites try to get users to go to them. So, I believe hotlinking to an article if it is in accordance with the fair use doctrine is okay and as long as there is attribution they will get some more traffic from it. Now if this site got national traffic like 50 million a day or something that might be different.

Here is an example of what the difference might be. If someone liked a picture off the home page that was exclusive to this site and wanted it on their front page, hot linking for that purpose would cost the site and it would not be right to use their material and make them pay for bandwidth with no benefit. However asking the owner of the material is always appropriate if desired.

This comes from my own experience of researching and dealing with these issues with Communities Bound. Each site is responsible for their own policies.


I can understand the annoyance of the original bear photographer, some news stations will use your work without telling people where they got it if they can get away with it. It is very annoying. This site has had it happen to them.