Linking to media - copyright issues

[ramprage]

I have recently been notified that one of my sites is linking to a full length video from a certain company. The video is not hosted on my server nor is it on my website, all I have on the site is a link to it. The video is hosted with Google.

Does this give the company claiming copyright infringement any ground to make me remove the link? Would I get in legal trouble for this even though I'm not hosting the media in any way?

Thank you

Steve

[Chris]

Not really, you could win a long and costly lawsuit probably. Do you want to try?

[ramprage]

I'd rather just remove the link than waste time and money on lawyers. The thing is if they were to proceed with the men in suits how would it happen? Don't they have to send a letter of notice or file a DMCA report with the upstream provider?

I mean they can't just send an email saying remove the link or I'll see you in court then I have to show up in a few months, can they?

[Cutter]

For a link they are supposed to send a DMCA notification, if you don't follow it you'll have to go to court

[Chris]

no no no.

You won't have to go to court unless you get served with papers. Getting served with papers means someone, often a cop, shows up at your door and personally hands you papers saying you're being sued.

[Blue Cat Buxton]

Sounds like something best avoided!

[paul]

If you are in business in the USA you are likely to be sued. You need to have your response planed BEFORE the guy shows up at the door with the summons.

An obvious first step is to be sure your domain registrations and your content copyrights are not held by the same legal entity. Then they have to get through two layers to reach any value.