Comments on: How to Stop Bloggers from Hotlinking to Your Images http://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html Professional Photography Blog Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:56:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: cantuesohttp://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html/comment-page-1#comment-5440 cantueso Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:03:45 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=4457#comment-5440 To John:How terrible! Don't you understand that these things are not generally known! I have read law, copyright law, blogs about law etc: I am a translator and by now practically live only online. And I saw this "hotlink" thing for the first time absent-mindedly some days ago and then clearly yesterday on a site showing off Oliver Stone's Alexander the Great.I could not believe my eyes. I cannot understand that a big movie company would not want its big morbo picture of Alex on his horse vs a Persian on his elephant traveling all over. A movie company! Not a little photographer trying to make money with his photo of the sun setting in the Sahara. To John:

How terrible! Don't you understand that these things are not generally known! I have read law, copyright law, blogs about law etc: I am a translator and by now practically live only online. And I saw this "hotlink" thing for the first time absent-mindedly some days ago and then clearly yesterday on a site showing off Oliver Stone's Alexander the Great.

I could not believe my eyes. I cannot understand that a big movie company would not want its big morbo picture of Alex on his horse vs a Persian on his elephant traveling all over. A movie company! Not a little photographer trying to make money with his photo of the sun setting in the Sahara.

]]> By: cantuesohttp://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html/comment-page-1#comment-5439 cantueso Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:50:50 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=4457#comment-5439 "If the Web site that hotlinks to you also gives you credit for the image and links back to your site so that new visitors can find you, it can be well worth the tradeoff."I have been blogging for a long time but somehow I never ran across this "hotlink" problem, and now I still can't see the difference between a "link" and a "hotlink".I have a little thumbnail of the Omaha beach landings. This thumbnail is linked? or hotlinked? to a great US university picture. My blog is small, an average of 200 hits a day. On Sunday my thumbnail received more than 60 hits from people who must have landed on the university site. What is wrong with that? "If the Web site that hotlinks to you also gives you credit for the image and links back to your site so that new visitors can find you, it can be well worth the tradeoff."

I have been blogging for a long time but somehow I never ran across this "hotlink" problem, and now I still can't see the difference between a "link" and a "hotlink".

I have a little thumbnail of the Omaha beach landings. This thumbnail is linked? or hotlinked? to a great US university picture. My blog is small, an average of 200 hits a day. On Sunday my thumbnail received more than 60 hits from people who must have landed on the university site. What is wrong with that?

]]> By: Shannon Hudnellhttp://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html/comment-page-1#comment-5278 Shannon Hudnell Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:54:04 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=4457#comment-5278 I don't mind that my images can be found by hotlinks. I have, however, decided to display my name or website name and copyright notice on each image I place on the web. This way everyone knows who is the rightful owner. I don't mind that my images can be found by hotlinks. I have, however, decided to display my name or website name and copyright notice on each image I place on the web. This way everyone knows who is the rightful owner.

]]> By: Scott Baradellhttp://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html/comment-page-1#comment-5243 Scott Baradell Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:01:54 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=4457#comment-5243 Thanks SB and Peter! Thanks SB and Peter!

]]> By: Peter Phunhttp://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html/comment-page-1#comment-5236 Peter Phun Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:22:13 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=4457#comment-5236 Great post Scott. Hotlinking is a definite problem. I've had folks who are selling on ebay hotlink to a picture who think nothing of it.The kicker is my picture was just a simple screen grab showing a version of an operating system.That was just plain laziness. Google images makes it easy for people to behave that way.Enter some keywords, get the link and presto, instant picture without breaking a sweat. Great post Scott. Hotlinking is a definite problem. I've had folks who are selling on ebay hotlink to a picture who think nothing of it.

The kicker is my picture was just a simple screen grab showing a version of an operating system.

That was just plain laziness. Google images makes it easy for people to behave that way.

Enter some keywords, get the link and presto, instant picture without breaking a sweat.

]]> By: Sambuca Bretthttp://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html/comment-page-1#comment-5233 Sambuca Brett Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:18:29 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=4457#comment-5233 I use .htaccess and highly recommend it. It's not about whether hotlinking is protected by copyright or not. It's about giving yourself as much control as possible over where your content appears, especially when the hotlinker is using YOUR bandwidth to post your content. If you won't stand up for that, then you'll fall for anything. I use .htaccess and highly recommend it. It's not about whether hotlinking is protected by copyright or not. It's about giving yourself as much control as possible over where your content appears, especially when the hotlinker is using YOUR bandwidth to post your content. If you won't stand up for that, then you'll fall for anything.

]]> By: Scott Baradellhttp://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html/comment-page-1#comment-5225 Scott Baradell Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:35:21 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=4457#comment-5225 John, thanks for the suggestion!Sanger, thanks!Personally, I'm not an anti-hotlink Nazi (although there are many out there who are.) People hotlinking to images on your blog can actually help your search position and bring visitors to your site. But what if you don't want porn sites or hate sites displaying your images, as just two examples? .htaccess provides a way to have at least some control over who is using your images. John, thanks for the suggestion!

Sanger, thanks!

Personally, I'm not an anti-hotlink Nazi (although there are many out there who are.) People hotlinking to images on your blog can actually help your search position and bring visitors to your site. But what if you don't want porn sites or hate sites displaying your images, as just two examples? .htaccess provides a way to have at least some control over who is using your images.

]]> By: Sangerhttp://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html/comment-page-1#comment-5224 Sanger Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:22:18 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=4457#comment-5224 This is a very helpful post. I did not realize that hotlinking was viewed any differently by copyright law. From the viewer's perspective, there is no difference. When I have found these and asked the person to take the image down, they have complied. But there's nice to know there are things I can do on my end also. This is a very helpful post. I did not realize that hotlinking was viewed any differently by copyright law. From the viewer's perspective, there is no difference. When I have found these and asked the person to take the image down, they have complied. But there's nice to know there are things I can do on my end also.

]]> By: johnhttp://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html/comment-page-1#comment-5222 john Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:54:15 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=4457#comment-5222 One nice feature of htaccess is "rewrite" which allows you to send to the offending site a substitute image instead of the one that's been hotlinked. In the past I've sent a transparent gif file, 1 pixel high by 2000 pixels wide, which completely wrecks the other site's formatting and takes the site owner ages to identify as the source of the problem. One nice feature of htaccess is "rewrite" which allows you to send to the offending site a substitute image instead of the one that's been hotlinked. In the past I've sent a transparent gif file, 1 pixel high by 2000 pixels wide, which completely wrecks the other site's formatting and takes the site owner ages to identify as the source of the problem.

]]> By: Scott Baradellhttp://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html/comment-page-1#comment-5221 Scott Baradell Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:43:19 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=4457#comment-5221 William, the section on .htaccess explains how you can use that tool to block hotlinks. You can visit the links provided in that section for the specific code to insert in your site.Many photographers consider the unauthorized display of their copyrighted images a "copyright violation," whether or not this is achieved through hotlinking, and whether or not these copyrighted images have been uploaded to Flickr. Others don't. But you're right, the Google ruling would seem to suggest that "copyright violators" is not the best term. William, the section on .htaccess explains how you can use that tool to block hotlinks. You can visit the links provided in that section for the specific code to insert in your site.

Many photographers consider the unauthorized display of their copyrighted images a "copyright violation," whether or not this is achieved through hotlinking, and whether or not these copyrighted images have been uploaded to Flickr. Others don't. But you're right, the Google ruling would seem to suggest that "copyright violators" is not the best term.

]]> By: William Beemhttp://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html/comment-page-1#comment-5219 William Beem Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:42:34 +0000 http://rising.blackstar.com/?p=4457#comment-5219 I'm confused. Your title indicates you're going to tell people how to block hotlink access to web resources, but you never really do provide any advice.You also post a court ruling that hotlinking is not copyright violation, but you later refer to "copyright violators" who are hotlinking images on Flickr. Are you contradicting yourself, or just contradicting the court ruling?Hotlinking is not infringement. If you put something on the web, you are sharing it with anyone who wishes to access it. Just because they access that resource directly, rather than in the path that you expected, does not mean their actions are illegal. I'm confused. Your title indicates you're going to tell people how to block hotlink access to web resources, but you never really do provide any advice.

You also post a court ruling that hotlinking is not copyright violation, but you later refer to "copyright violators" who are hotlinking images on Flickr. Are you contradicting yourself, or just contradicting the court ruling?

Hotlinking is not infringement. If you put something on the web, you are sharing it with anyone who wishes to access it. Just because they access that resource directly, rather than in the path that you expected, does not mean their actions are illegal.

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