legal status of php pulls

[scorpion]

Not sure if this has ever been addressed but what is the legal status of doing something like an fopen on a URL resource and having it come up under your own URL. Does this involve copyright issues, since technically you are just opening a link...

[john316]

You're opening a link technically, but presenting the content as yours, the copyright issue may come into play.

[dingman]

In my mind, that crosses the line between linking and copying. Linking says "there's an interesting book at 303 East Kirkwood, on the third floor, in the fifth shelf east, two up from the bottom." What you're talking about is more going to the library, checking that book out, covering the library ownership stamp in white-out, and handing it to someone. The fact that you do it 'on the fly' doesn't change the fact that you coppied it and presented it as part of your site, in my mind.

[Brett_Tabke]

Depends entirely about what you are talking about.

Explain what you mean.
Framing the target site? Gray area (AskJeeves, About.com, and several smaller engines do it). However, it has been challenged I beleive 3 times in court and the the target site has won all 3 times.

Actually downloading and presenting the content? How would this _never_ be a copyright violiation?