Copyright and The Internet

According to the Copyright Licensing Agency of UK (www.cla.co.uk), Copyright laws apply on the Internet as they do on paper. "It is an infringement of copyright to post material on a website, for example, without the consent of the copyright holder. This applies whether the site is on an intranet, accessible only to members of an organisation, or the Internet.

The World Wide Web is subject to copyright, and Web pages are themselves literary works. The textual articles contained on Web pages are also separate literary works, the graphics are artistic works, and any sound files are sound recordings containing separate musical works. Electronic copying needs the permission of the copyright holder, or a licence, in the same way as paper copying. It is an infringement of copyright to make an electronic copy without permission."

The law on hyperlinking

About this specific subject, CLA states that "Hyperlinks are the whole basis of the World Wide Web. Remove them and you remove its distinctive
feature. However, the co-operative, collaborative spirit of the early years of the Internet has inevitably given way to commercial considerations."
"Fair dealing for research or private study, criticism or review, or reporting current events does not infringe copyright, but is limited by strict conditions.
Fair dealing in the digital environment is yet to be defined by the courts, and it would be unwise to assume that any digital copying is fair dealing."
"The law on hyperlinking is unclear and is still being made. However, whatever the law, common courtesy is still the best solution. Before
hyperlinking to another site, email the webmaster to let him or her know. You may well be rewarded with a link back to your site, and you will be helping to
preserve the true Internet spirit of co-operation and collaboration a little longer."

"It is unlikely that a simple hyperlink from one site to another infringes copyright. However, as a matter of courtesy it is good practice to notify by email those sites to which you intend to link."