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Posted by Carolyn Marenger on 03/20/06 11:54
jmev7 wrote:
> I've been wondering how sites are able to contain other sites within them,
> linking them as if they were their own. I can't think of any at this time,
> but some appear to link to other sites, but when you click the links, the
> first site maintains their header in the target page. Can someone tell me
> how this is done, and is it legal?
A quick example is google image search. When you select a google image to
look at, it loads the target site in a frame on the lower portion of the
viewport, with a google title bar across the top.
Framesets are probably the easy way to incorporate other sites into your
own. In-line frames could also be used. I think they have their purpose,
like google's image search, however I also think they are overused.
I am sure you could also use SSI and/or server side scripts to grab all or
portions of some other webpage and include it in your own. I can see doing
this as a test of programming skills, but I can not think of a practical
purpose. That isn't to say there isn't one, just that I can't think of it.
As for it being legal? I am not a lawyer, but here is my take on the
subject. I can take a can of Splitzo Paint and use it in my storefront
window display. I don't need to contact Splitzo Paint to do so, even if my
store sells used hockey equipment. (I might want to, as they might give me
a break on the cost of the can in exchange for the advertising, but that is
a different issue.)
I can present a seminar to a group of blond haired poodles. In the seminar,
I can quote a paragraph from a sci-fi book I have just read. I am required
to credit the source, but I don't have to ask them permission first.
I can use someone else's content on my site, again, if I credit the source.
If I am configuring my site to tell your browser to load a piece of their
content, into a section of the viewport displaying my site, I would give
credit. It wouldn't even have to be a link, just credit. There is some
controversy over this practise, specifically in relation to images. As far
as I know, it isn't illegal, it is frowned upon in some circle however.
Now, can I copy the content to my site to display it? That would depend on
the source's copyrights. I would check first, and I would keep a copy of
the copyright statement at that time. I would also check with your local
laws.
In Canada, as I understand it, anything can be copied for educational and
research purposes. If I am teaching music, I can copy that new CD to help
my student practise. If I am a science teacher, I can copy that article
out of Popular Science to give to the students. If I am researching the
cultural influence of cell phones on web site design, I can copy web sites.
The tricky part come in posting things back on the net. If I copy stuff in
Canada, for educational reasons, then I have not broken the Canadian
copyright law. If I post it to my educational site, hosted in Canada, then
I still have not broken Canadian copyright law. If my hosting company has
a backup server in the UK, then I better check with UK law.
It would probably be a good idea for me to check any laws in any region of
the world I might want to visit in the future. If I have copied something
from a site hosted in America, I may have broken American law. If the
original source decided to pursue the situation, there is little they could
do as long as I stayed out of the states. I doubt that I would get
extradited to the states in a situation like this. However if I crossed
into America, my name could very well be flagged at the border.
Disclaimer: The legal advise presented in this message is provided by
someone with almost no legal training what so ever. I did take a two
month community college business law course. If you want accurate legal
opinion, fork out the bucks and seek a lawyer. If you want my uneducated
opinion, feel free to ask me.
Carolyn
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Carolyn Marenger
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