I wanted to incorporate a link to the Denver Water Commission site on breathe deep. (See my legal issues page for overall details here). I have complied with their wishes not to be linked. However, I would argue that netizens have the right to link to any other site from their site, as long as that link is not libelous. My actions in no way should signify that I am giving up the legal right to link to any site I choose.
Here is my correspondance with the Denver Water Board:
(Note: I disabled the e-mail addresses below so that bots can't add them to e-mail lists. Just another one of those precautions we take in these good old days of lawless internet connections).
My standard letter (sent to all external pages that I linked with)
Hi, I would like to include a link to your site, Denver Municipal Water Board, (note : I AM NOT including the URL here, as I did in my original letter) in a new web-based novel. The novel centers around a girl searching for her sister, who has disappeared into the internet. The novel is 144 pages and consists of well over 1,000 links.Ê The novel will either be at a journal site on the web or downloadable as an e-book. This is an artistic endeavor. I am writing to show how the internet has incorporated all of our lives, including fiction.
You can see the draft of the page where your link would appear at: http://www.chisp.net/~textra/rain/water/symbols/breatheindex.html The link will open into an entirely new page, distinct from the novel. Readers will immediately recognize that they are on your page and have left the novel. I will also have a warning at the front of the book:
This hypertext fiction is just that--fiction.The author and characters
do not endorse any products or contents of any external links. Each external
link will be opened in a new window, with no mention of the novel, Disappearing
Rain. To get back to the story, click under "Window."
The author does not keep track of the content on the external pages.
Some external links may contain language or concepts not appropriate for
readers under 18.
(As this site is still unpublished, please keep this information private.If you wish to be informed about where the novel ends up on the web, please let me know). I will make one copy of your site for archive purposes only.Ê If your site goes away, the novel will link to a 404 error not found (which is part of the structure I am trying to build.) This is a good faith effort to ensure that there is no percieved problem with linking to your site from this novel.Ê If I do not hear back from you, I will assume that it is ok to make this link. Please let me know either way though, so I can keep a record. Thanks so much!
Deena Larsen
textra at chisp.net
http://www.chisp.net/~textra
The first reply from the Denver Water Board
Subject: RE: Permission to link to your site
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 11:39:16 -0700
From: "Earle, Jane E."
To: "'textra at chisp.net'"
Until I have had the opportunity to explore and review this request further, I do not want you to link to our site for the purposes of your web novel.
Jane Earle Manager, Community Relations