Hyperlinking to Hutchison Whampoa Limited is still forbidden
Raymond Chen
Back in 2005, I noted that since 2000, Hutchison Whampoa Limited required written permission to create a hyperlink to their Web site without written permission.
This requirement appears still to be in effect. If you go to their Web site and click the “Copyright” link at the bottom, you are told
No person, whether an individual or a body corporate, shall create or establish a hyperlink to the HWL Corporate Website by hypertext reference or imaging without the written permission of Hutchison.
In 2015, Hutchison Whampoa Limited was merged with Cheung Kong Holdings, forming CK Hutchison Holdings. Surely, when they set up the Web site for the new company, they updated their copyright statement to be something more in keeping with today’s Internet-connected world, right?
Nope.
If you go to the home page of CK Hutchison Holdings and click on the “Copyright” link at the bottom, it takes you to a page which concludes with the paragraph
No person, whether an individual or a body corporate, shall create or establish a hyperlink to the CK Hutchison Corporate Website by hypertext reference or imaging without the written permission of CK Hutchison.
I wonder whether anyone has successfully obtained written permission to hyperlink to the CK Hutchison Corporate Web site. I personally have not, which is why I am not hyperlinking to them.
Light
Dark
5 comments
Hmm. Looks like Google Search already violate their rules. Lawsuit coming? I doubt it.
It occurs to me you can easily sidestep this restriction using a URL shortening service.
I’m guessing someone just did a Find+Replace from old name to new name across the company website, and nobody noticed or cared enough to bother a lawyer to fix the copyright notice.
They have a “share this page” link though 😀
Visiting their web-site will add a hyperlink in your web browser cache. Is that “creating or establishing an hyperlink”? IANAL, but I would not take the risk, I’d be wary of visiting their web-site.