Several court cases have set presidents in Law. In short, nobody can demand a fee for linking to a lawfully posted resource freely available online.

A copyright owner is not necessary the author or creator

The main question for a user wanting to post a link is whether the initial posting was done with the copyright owner’s consent.

There is no infringement if the copyright owner gave permission for the original posting. There is no infringement either if the re-poster was unaware that the copyright owner did not grant permission. However, there is infringement id the re-poster is aware that the original post was done without consent of the copyright owner.
Decision workflow

How do I link to e-published articles?

How do I reference sources?

How do I find a legal version of an e-publication?

Why shouldn’t we link directly to PDFs?

Can I link to videos and films?

The author takes no responsibility for the content of this page, which is not intended as binding legal advice. The views are about copyright in the UK Higher Education sector context.