Newspaper sites: do not link to us
How will other newspapers react now The Guardian is giving access to a million articles to developers for free as part of its Open Platform initiative
If their site T&Cs are anything to go by, they have a long way to go to embrace the internet.
It’s fairly standard to forbid people from copying your material. But some papers have gone so far with their site T&Cs that you’re not allowed to link to – or even read – their pages. The quotes below are all from the sites’ T&Cs (and all seem to conflict with the ’share’ buttons, such as the one enabling the Times to top the StumbleUpon league).
Daily Mirror: don’t link to us
Clause 2.1: “You also agree not to deep-link … to the Site for any purpose, unless specifically authorised by MGN Ltd to do so.”
Daily Mail: don’t link to us
“You may not provide a link to this web site from any other web site without first obtaining Associated’s prior written consent.”
The Sun: don’t link to us
Clause 10: “Unauthorised linking to the website is prohibited”
Telegraph: OK as of 3pm
This used to say “you must not deep-link to … any part of the Site without our prior written consent. ” But within 5 hours of my pointing this out on twitter, they had deleted it.
Independent: confused
On the one hand: “Third parties are permitted to link to stories within INM websites, using the URL and quoting the headline and the source website.” On the other: “Third parties must not deep-link to … any part of the Website. ”
FT: don’t read at work
Only read it for personal reasons, not for business ones: “If you are using FT.com in an “at work” capacity … and your use extends beyond personal, non-commercial use then you should contact FT’s Content Sales Team at FTSales.Support@ft.com to discuss your business requirements.” Do they apply this rule to the paper, too?
Times: don’t link to us
“unauthorised … linking to the Website is prohibited”.
Originally posted here.
19 Comments, Comment or Ping
Matt B (Thanet Star)
That’s hysterical.
A URI being a Uniform Resource Identifier and a URL being a Uniform Resource Locator as they are it is not possible to “copyright”, “Trade Mark” or otherwise own the path name of your pages do to the prior art of the WWW system being claimable by Tim Burners-Lee of the W3 consortium.
They can forbid it all they like and it will still be legal.
I bet they paid a lot each for that mumbo jumbo.
Mar 12th, 2009
Aaron Z
That’s crazy! Now maybe we can understand why so many newspapers are going out of business.
Mar 12th, 2009
Callie
*please do not read anyone else’s newspaper and that includes you on the tube reading the headlines of the guy opposite’s paper*
This is not the death of the media – merely a rationalisation.
Mar 12th, 2009
Chris
Nice catch. Hilarious!
Mar 12th, 2009
The Worst of Perth
And if you see one of our journalists, you’re not allowed to look at them. Or our building.
Mar 12th, 2009
Helen Whitehead
Thanks for pointing these out Paul. Most thought provoking as usual from your blog. As Matt says above, they can none of them enforce it.
Mar 12th, 2009
Steve Jackson
That’s incredible – I had no idea.
Mar 12th, 2009
Jon Clements
I can recall a time when we took the Ts&Cs to heart and actually phoned the publications for permission to link to a piece of client coverage on ther site. I mean, how dare we drive extra traffic their way.
Mar 12th, 2009
Kristine
Wow, I really thought UK newspapers had moved beyond such silly policies. Here I was thinking newspapers had improved their linking policies as of late, but I guess we still need DONA’s Link Manifesto to be spread far and wide:
http://kristinelowe.blogs.com/kristine_lowe/2009/03/why-we-need-the-link-manifesto-more-than-ever.html
Mar 13th, 2009
SvB
Discussion should be made with those worried newspaper editors.
Many people are willing to prevent print journalism for dying, Twitter can replicate Google YouTube success in helping TV and movie maker / film artists to promote or increase audience/viewers.
They want traffic, Twitter can give them traffic, so lets sit down together and discuss how those traffic numbers can be made and converted to ads & subscription .
Mar 16th, 2009
elottery
haha how wierd, it doesnt sound like they have grasped the rules of the internet at all.
May 3rd, 2009
Max
Lol, I thought I can link to any sites I want from my websites.
May 6th, 2009
Major Richard Sharpe
its what you get when you letter lawyers who understand nothing near the internet
they all probably cut and pasted it form the same source materila anyway
Sep 28th, 2009
Lottery Syndicate
Maybe its reverse psychology and actually the want you to link to them!?
Feb 20th, 2010
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