# Message boards and copyright protection

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-and-copyright-protection/258537>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [August 6, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-and-copyright-protection/258537 "2004-08-06T00:06:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-and-copyright-protection/258537/21 "2004-08-09T18:28:57Z")

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Some people seem (or pretend to be) downright ignorant. Thake [this site](http://usuarios.lycos.es/moviestars/fotos/fotos.html) for example:

> [@](#):
>
> LAS IMAGENES CONTENIDAS EN ESTA PAGINA HAN SIDO OBTENIDAS EN LA RED Y SE SUPONE SON DE DOMINIO PUBLICO.
> 
> Translation:  
> The images in this page have been obtained from the Internet and are therefore considered of the public domain

Huh? :smack:

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**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-and-copyright-protection/258537/22 "2004-08-09T20:02:38Z")

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Is there a way to check to see if there are hotlinks to your site? I vaguely recall that Google allowed somone to see what sites link to your site, but if there a tool that one can use specifically for images?

I suppose that it’s impossible to do if they copied and pasted the image itself.

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**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-and-copyright-protection/258537/23 "2004-08-09T23:08:51Z")

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There may be a simple one, but this is what I did:

I checked all the referals we got from sites other than search engines. I checked the ones I’ve never heard of and a lot of them were hotlinking my pictures. Mostly kiddy sites that were using the designs from my store (Stuff like 'Marry me, I can cook!, or ‘Yummy Kid’).

I found 32 sites that were hotlinking my pictures just in the logs from July :smack: It had never occurred to me to check before. I have more bandwith than I can use, but of course that doesn’t give them any right to do so. :mad:

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**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/message-boards-and-copyright-protection/258537/24 "2004-08-09T23:10:01Z")

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Maybe a nice mod coudl move this thread to GQ. There isn’t much to debate here.

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