Linux Today - Editor's Note: Blocked Sites and Fair Use

Linux Today - Editor's Note: Blocked Sites and Fair Use: "By Brian Proffitt
Managing Editor

There was a problem that occured on Linux Today this afternoon that I feel obliged to explain.

Early this morning, I posted a story from the Information Week Web site entitled, 'Massachusetts Builds Open-Source Public Trough.' The link to the story was contributed by long-time contributor Jason Greenwood. I surfed to the article, read it, and deemed it worthy for excerpting and linking from our site. I constructed the story and posted it, timing it to run at 1730 GMT (1230 EST).

What I did not know, and did not learn until late this afternoon, was that the publisher of Information Week, CMP Media LLC (a division of United Business Media plc), had apparently decided to block incoming links from Linux Today. I did not realize this because when I linked to the story directly from my system in Indianapolis, there was no block. (Nor, apparently, did Mr. Greenwood get blocked.)

Clearly, this is a block designed specifically for referring sites such as Linux Today. (Though, curiously, a link on NewsForge to the same story that has the exact same excerpt is currently allowed to go through unimpeded.)"