---
title: Linking to illegal sites is illegal
date: "2001-12-15T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - links
wp_id: 1512
description: I highlight a legal ruling finding that while hyperlinking to illegal sites is prohibited, providing the plain-text URL remains legal. This distinction illustrates early digital copyright battles and tensions surrounding DeCSS decryption software.
keywords: [cyberlaw, decss, hyperlinks, copyright, dmca, dvd decryption]
---

[Linking to illegal sites is illegal](http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/14/technology/circuits/14CYBERLAW.html). But if you just type the URL like http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS/Gallery/ that's fine.