If I have a website, can I include links to other website without worrying about legal repercussions?

Question

Do I have to ask before posting a link or can I just post the links?

Answer 1

Anything that is available publicly and freely can be linked to without worry.  In fact, most sites would appreciate any extra traffic you can generate for them.  Just be careful not to take credit for anyone else's work.

Answer 2

If it's on the web, it's already publically available for anyone to view and therefore you can put as many links as you want to the site!

Webmasters like getting linked not only because it generates more traffic for their pages but it also goes towards increasing the page's ranks (pages gets listed better on search engines).

The only thing you may want to ask them about it perhaps a reciprocal link....

Answer 3

You can link to any website without requiring to contact the webmaster, most would like you to link to them.

If you contact the webmaster you MAY receive a link back, which would benefit your website!

The use of their material such as Images or Articles require you to contact the webmaster, in most cases if you give credit and reference to the source they will allow it.

If the content you are linking to may be infringing copyright (such as a movie on YouTube) then this is illegal in some countries such as in USA, Australia and recently persons in UK have been cautioned.