Is this Hot Linking?

[palmpal]

Hello,

Is a directory-style website that categorizes various products for sale guilty of hot linking if the product pages contain a) product images from the other website and b) a Buy Now button that links to the other website? An example is a product they had listed that linked to Amazon.com.

I guess I'm wondering if you need to get permission to use the image and also have a Buy Now link that directs your visitor to the site that offers the product for sale.

I gathered that the directory is not making $$ from the sale of products but rather advertising and such.

Thanks!

[BradleyT]

Well most people consider hotlinking to be what you described in (A) so I'd say yes - assuming they don't have permission.

[victor]

As bradley-t says, (a) is definitely hotlinking.

You are in a fragile postion with (a) if you do not have both: permission to do so; and the owner's agreement to keep the image online.

If they don't know you are doing it (no matter how nice your reasons) they have no reason to check before they change or remove the image. That could mess up your site in a moment.

[palmpal]

Hello,

Thanks for the replies. I thought the same thing but started second guessing myself when I realized it was a very popular website and that they were linking to other popular ecommerce sites.

Granted the sale of the product takes place at the ecommerce sites but the directory site still benefits by having advertising in the form of a "featured results" PPC program and a Google Adwords program. Could it be that the directory site made arrangements with Amazon to feature their products?

Thanks!

[webtress]

Could it be that the directory site made arrangements with Amazon to feature their products?

It could be that the site in question has an affiliate relationship with Amazon, on the other hand the hotlinkers that I have found hotlinking to one of our sites and to amazon are only after images and usually no buy buttons are associated with the image. For these special webmasters I use special advertising images :) So if you are thinking of hotlinking without proper permission remember you put your sites page in the hands of the webmaster that controls the images, or if someone is hotlinking to you there are several approaches that you can take, I look at it as another chance to get advertising in most cases.

[Beagle]

Sounds exactly like an amazon affiliate link to me. Is there reason to think it's anything else? Maybe I'm missing something.