Don't Link to this Site

Comment 1

Heh heh. (wrong link for Zeldman, btw).

Fast Company was doing the same thing until recently (http://www.molly.com/index.php?p=185) - stupid, but inevitable I suppose once lawyers start reading about walmartsucks.com and ntlhellworld.com.

So said Matt Pennell on Monday 5 July, 2004 at 4:58PM GMT.

Comment 2

I hope you have permission to link to their site.

So said Andrew on Monday 5 July, 2004 at 5:04PM GMT.

Comment 3

hey man

So said doug on Monday 5 July, 2004 at 8:16PM GMT.

Comment 4

According to google there are four incoming links to their site, I wonder if we can get a campaign going to increase that?

So said Tony on Tuesday 6 July, 2004 at 11:44AM GMT.

Comment 5

Er... has any one thought that this might be a publicity stunt to get people to link to their site? There's nothing like banning something to make people want to do it more.

So said Mark Harmstone on Tuesday 6 July, 2004 at 12:00PM GMT.

Comment 6

Who gives a f**k about some stupid tape company? They don't want links to their site, fine they can go to hell!

So said paradise>lost on Tuesday 6 July, 2004 at 9:26PM GMT.

Comment 7

I think the point is that, generally, whether you're a stupid tape company or not, you can't say, legally or otherwise, whether someone can link to your site or not.

So said Chris on Wednesday 7 July, 2004 at 12:45AM GMT.

Comment 8

Sellotape got totally anal about their brand a while ago...their lawers sent letters to everyone who had the word SELLITAPE on thier websites...

crock of sh!t

So said Darren on Wednesday 7 July, 2004 at 1:49AM GMT.

Comment 9

I just linked ALL of my sites, my clients sites, and my porn sites to their site :)
They can go to hell.

So said Chris on Wednesday 7 July, 2004 at 5:25PM GMT.

Comment 10

You've got your own porn sites? That dedication, that is.

So said on Friday 9 July, 2004 at 3:44PM GMT.

Comment 11

Really strange... Don't they want people to find their site? Has Google got permission to link to Sellotape's site? What keeps the Internet alive is it's ability to give you information, but what if the information can't be found? If Sellotape doesn't want people to link to them, it would be hard to find their site, and they would be diggin their own grave.

So said Jonas on Monday 12 July, 2004 at 12:28PM GMT.

Comment 12

Cool site.

So said nowy on Thursday 15 July, 2004 at 9:19AM GMT.

Comment 13

Well there is no short of stupid people there is much to go around!
I suggest they take of the site this will insure them that no one will see it!

So said Richard Diaz on Friday 16 July, 2004 at 7:40PM GMT.

Comment 14

I wonder how you found out that they don't want anyone linking to them as it's like the old philosophical issue when a tree fall in the forest does it make a sound?

So said Jenny Price on Friday 16 July, 2004 at 8:06PM GMT.

Comment 15

I wonder how you found out that they don't want anyone linking to them as it's like the old philosophical issue when a tree fall in the forest does it make a sound?

So said Jenny Price on Friday 16 July, 2004 at 8:07PM GMT.

Comment 16

Now, I've seen websites that only wanted you to link to their main page, and would get bent out of shape if you linked straight to a particular article, for instance. But if you don't specify an article, how are people going to find it? You go to the main page, and spend forever searching.

On the other hand, I don't think it's right to link just an image into your page as if it were your own -- you're using their bandwidth and they aren't getting any benefits from ads and such, plus at that point, even though you technically didn't copy their picture, having it embedded implies that you have a right to use it, which you probably don't. If nothing else, it's misleading.

So, just because you can link to something, is it right to in every case? I say linking directly to a page should be OK. This is how the 'net was designed to work, to organize and locate information in a loose collaboration. If businesses don't like it, they can have their own net that noone else will visit.

So said Gary W. on Sunday 18 July, 2004 at 4:36PM GMT.

Comment 17

Okay - I reckon companies like that should have their brand name subverted. Sello**** for example (put in the letters of your choice). The actual brand name would never appear on your page, and if you wanted to reference who you were talking about, you'd simply post a link to Google bringing up the company name at the top of the SERPS. A brand name is a massive investment, and easily subverted. Just needs enough people to start using it.

OR simply link to their competitors using relevant keywords in the links - sticky backed plastic, or whatever.

A blog network could have a lot of fun with this.

So said Richard on Monday 19 July, 2004 at 8:36PM GMT.

Comment 18

Man, I can't believe you actually fell for that bit of reverse psychology!
However, as you can see from their site, you must put the ® character after their name, always.

So said on Wednesday 28 July, 2004 at 7:01AM GMT.

Comment 19

If I do not put the (r) character after their name, then the name is not their any more?
Can I sue everibody named Tony?

So said Tony on Wednesday 28 July, 2004 at 9:05AM GMT.

Comment 20

I guess they don't want people finding their website. I mean, not only do they not want to be linked, but they have FRAMESETS (shudder), which serve FLASH content, and they have not meta tags. Hmmm. I wonder if they even show up on google...?

So, the number one cellulose tape in europe, huh?
http://www.google.com/search?q=Cellulose+tape+europe&sourceid=firefox&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

So, Cellulose Tape SelloTape returns:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=Cellulose+tape+Sellotape&btnG=Search

Several links down, one of their pages... but... hahaha... it only opens one of the frameset pages,, outside their frameset.

The only thing worse than frames are frames implemented pathetically.

So said tesseract on Thursday 29 July, 2004 at 5:33PM GMT.

Comment 21

Fight the power!! Hyperlink away to Silly-sello people.
I would email Sellotape and ask them just why they have such a policy.

BTW, Were there any big things in web standards land whilst I was in Ireland? (I know about the Simplebits redesign).

So said Dante on Friday 30 July, 2004 at 3:17AM GMT.

Comment 22

Richard, there is no need to subvert the name of Sellotape. I suspect that "sticky-back plastic" (popularized, of course, by Blue Peter) is already virtually a synonym for Sellotape.

So said Mark Harmstone on Sunday 1 August, 2004 at 10:43PM GMT.

Comment 23

just as a point of interest.. THIS page ranks higher in google now for the term "cellulose tape"
http://www.google.com/search?q=Cellulose+tape+europe&sourceid=firefox&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

btw: i have a secret website too..shhh!

So said Roon on Wednesday 4 August, 2004 at 9:32AM GMT.

Comment 24

Perhaps sellotape have the secret of how to make a site "sticky"".

So said John Goodman on Wednesday 4 August, 2004 at 10:56AM GMT.

Comment 25

Chris, what are the URLs of your porn sites?

So said on Thursday 5 August, 2004 at 2:30AM GMT.

Comment 26

I was looking on a website yesterday and happened accross an article making fun of a guy on Ebay who linked directly to a picture of speakers on someone elses site...I thought the comeback was great - the site owners changed the picture to something completely inappropriate and now that is the picture displayed in the guys listing.

I don't think it is wrong to link to someone's site, but pulling pics like that is stupid.

So said Julia on Friday 6 August, 2004 at 7:50PM GMT.

Comment 27

http://www.sellotape.co.uk/copyright.htm http://www.sellotape.co.uk/copyright.htm http://www.sellotape.co.uk/copyright.htm http://www.sellotape.co.uk/copyright.htm http://www.sellotape.co.uk/copyright.htm http://www.sellotape.co.uk/copyright.htm

So said smith on Sunday 8 August, 2004 at 2:51AM GMT.

Comment 28

What is the purpose of this? They want less traffic? They want shitty search engine rankings? That's unbelievable.

So said entertainment news on Sunday 8 August, 2004 at 11:33PM GMT.

Comment 29

Very nice blog.May forums:http://www.strefazrzutu.net

So said novy on Saturday 14 August, 2004 at 9:58AM GMT.

Comment 30

Legally URLs are the same as street address. They cannot be copyrighted, so hyperlinking to them is legal. The hypertext within the link is copyrighted by whoever wrote the hypertext. Also linking in such a way that someone else's site shows up in your frameset raises copyright issues by giving the impression that their content is really your content.

So said [Anon] on Tuesday 14 September, 2004 at 12:47AM GMT.

Comment 31

Check these out:

BP Solar.
'You may not frame this site nor link to a page other than the home page without our express permission.'
Solar energy right? 21st century, cutting edge technology? Made laughable by 18th century legal eagle stupidity. Nice one!

Yamaha.
'You are granted a revocable and nonexclusive right to create a hyperlink to this Site so long as the link does not portray Yamaha, its affiliates, or their products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise offensive manner.'
Hey, you can only link to us if you're nice, OK? Otherwise we're gonna sulk an' take our ball home. So there! Muppets!

Geico.
'We request that you not create any kind of hyperlink from any other site to ours unless you first obtain our permission.'
So does politeness excuse stupidity? Er.....naaah! Still a bunch of dufus lawyers missing the point completely.

On The Border.
'Any creation by you of any kind of Hyperlink to the site is not allowed without the permission of Brinker International.'
Please also inform us if you intend to pass any of our restaurants in your car, as this will also require our express consent. Sad, sad, sad.

Zurich American Insurance.
'By completing the information requested below, you will have permission to establish a hyperlink from your website to our website: zurichna.com. After clicking on the “Submit” button, you will be brought to a page that has instructions for your web programmer on how to put our hyperlink onto your web site.'
Wow guys, thanks for making it so easy to fill out an online permission form. We're really grateful, 'cause it's so very difficult to add links to our pages. Because of that I'll really try hard to promote your stupidity on my website now. Sigh!

National Board of Forensic Chiropractors.
'You may only Link to our home page at "http://www.forensicexaminers.org."'
Short, sweet and still stupid. Perhaps a little more 'analysis, investigation and examination to obtain the truth' would help your lawyers, eh?

Paula Abdul.
'You may not download, hyperlink, hotlink or reuse our content (including text, images, audio, visual and other media) on your own personal or Paula Abdul related web site.'
Oh dear, sweet Paula. The nation loves you, but laughs lustily at your sad luddite lawyers. No really, they do!

Laureate Education Inc.
'No permission is granted here to you to use Educate's icons, site address, or other means to hyperlink other Internet sites with any page in the Educate web site. You must obtain prior written permission to hyperlink in any manner to the Educate web site.'
Oh my! Perhaps you folks ought to educate your lawyers, 'cause they've clearly not got a cotton picking, K12 clue about the Internet. Shudder!

Enterprise Funds.
'At your request, you can be granted a limited, revocable, and nonexclusive right to create a hyperlink to the Web site. This is a one-time permission granted on a "per URL" basis. Permission from Enterprise must be obtained for each link with an independent URL. A change in the link will require resubscription.'
Wow, you guys are really going to be busy granting link permissions for each and every one of the 5 billion or so URLs on the Web. How are you going to find time to provide all your expert financial advice? Or train your lawyers and their monkeys?

So said Paul Reeve on Sunday 19 September, 2004 at 11:50AM GMT.

Comment 32

hahah, well looks like their dont hyperlink to our site had a bad effect, the site no longer exists

So said lol on Thursday 1 December, 2005 at 5:11PM GMT.