Deep linking: an ethical and legal analysis

摘要

Deep linking, the practice of linking to a subsidiary page rathernthan the home page of another organization's Web site, is the subject ofnconsiderable controversy. In several recent lawsuits, plaintiffs havenalleged violations of copyright, trademark, and commercial laws. Inreview the legal and ethical issues regarding deep linking and commentnon how the ethical conflict between rights and utility motivates thencontroversy. I conclude that protecting site owners' rights to controlndeep linking to their sites is a stronger value than enhancing thenutility of the Web for users by allowing completely unrestricted deepnlinking. Finally, I recommend a collection of resources for Webndevelopers interested in staying current with the evolving controversy