Editing Encyclopedia:Copyrights (section)

=== Linking to copyrighted works ===
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Since most recently-created works are copyrighted, almost any Wikipedia article which [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cites its sources]] will link to copyrighted material. It is not necessary to obtain the permission of a copyright holder before linking to copyrighted material, just as an author of a book does not need permission to cite someone else's work in their [[bibliography]]. Likewise, Wikipedia is not restricted to linking only to CC BY-SA or open-source content.

However, if you know or reasonably suspect that an external Web site is carrying a work in violation of copyright, do not link to that copy of the work without the permission of the copyright holder. An example would be linking to a site hosting the lyrics of many popular songs without permission from their copyright holders. Knowingly and intentionally directing others to a site that violates copyright has been considered a form of [[Contributory copyright infringement|contributory infringement]] in the United States (''[[Intellectual Reserve v. Utah Lighthouse Ministry]]'' [http://www.law.uh.edu/faculty/cjoyce/copyright/release10/IntRes.html]); cf. ''[[GS Media v Sanoma]]'' for a landmark case in the European Union. Linking to a page that illegally distributes someone else's work sheds a bad light on Wikipedia and its editors.

The copyright status of [[web archiving|web archives]] in the United States is unclear. On Wikipedia it is currently acceptable to link to archives such as [[Wikipedia:Using the Wayback Machine|the Wayback Machine]], which host unmodified archived copies of webpages taken at various points in time.

In articles about a website, it is acceptable to include a link to that website even if there are possible copyright violations somewhere on the site.

Context is also important; it may be acceptable to link to a reputable website's review of a particular film, even if it presents a still from the film (such uses are generally either explicitly permitted by distributors or allowed under fair use). However, linking directly to the still of the film removes the context and the site's justification for permitted use or fair use.