In the late 1990s, two lawsuits asked whether websites could be sued for how they linked to other sites. In one, major news organizations sued a site that showed their stories inside its own frame, surrounded by its own ads. In the other, Ticketmaster sued Microsoft for linking past its home page straight to pages deep inside its site. Both cases settled, but they shaped how websites link to each other.
If an older article sent you here, this site’s original pages are preserved in the Internet Archive: Washington Post v. TotalNews, Ticketmaster v. Microsoft and the site’s overview of linking cases. You can also browse more early internet law cases.
Washington Post v. TotalNews (1997)
TotalNews was a website that gathered links to major news outlets. When a reader clicked one, the news story opened inside a frame on the TotalNews page, so the TotalNews name, links and advertising stayed wrapped around someone else’s reporting.
In February 1997, The Washington Post, CNN, Time, Dow Jones, the Los Angeles Times’ parent company and Reuters sued TotalNews in federal court in New York. They claimed the site was taking their content and selling ads around it, and that the framing confused readers about who was behind the stories.
The case settled in June 1997. TotalNews agreed to stop framing the publishers’ sites. It could still link to them, but only with ordinary links that took readers to the publishers’ own pages, under permission the publishers could withdraw.
Ticketmaster v. Microsoft (1997)
Microsoft ran Seattle Sidewalk, an online city guide. Its event listings included links that took readers directly to the right page inside Ticketmaster’s website to buy tickets, skipping Ticketmaster’s home page and the advertising and promotions there.
Ticketmaster sued Microsoft in federal court in Los Angeles in April 1997. It claimed Microsoft was using its name and trademarks without permission and unfairly taking away the value of its home page. Microsoft responded that linking is how the web works. The case settled in February 1999, with Microsoft agreeing to link to Ticketmaster’s home page rather than to pages inside the site.
Why These Cases Mattered
Neither case produced a court ruling, but together with the Shetland Times case in Scotland, they raised the question of whether a website could control how others linked to it. Many people who saw linking as the heart of the web feared that lawsuits like these could make linking risky.
Later decisions mostly settled the question in favor of linking. In 2000, in a separate case Ticketmaster brought against Tickets.com, a federal court ruled that ordinary deep linking, without framing or copying, is not copyright infringement. Framing someone else’s content inside your own page remains more legally risky. Learn more about the Shetland Times case.
Keeping Users Inside
These early fights were about websites trying to keep readers on their own pages, where they could show them ads. Today’s social media apps take that goal much further. Families suing Meta, TikTok, Snap and Google claim the companies designed their apps to keep children and teens scrolling for as long as possible, because more time in the app means more advertising revenue, despite knowing the harm to young users.
If social media harmed your child, Doyle APC handles these claims together with experienced co-counsel. Learn who may qualify for compensation.
Common Questions
What is framing?
Framing shows another website’s page inside a frame on your own page, so your name, links or ads stay visible around the other site’s content.
What happened in Washington Post v. TotalNews?
Major news organizations sued TotalNews in 1997 for framing their stories inside its own pages with its own ads. The case settled when TotalNews agreed to stop framing and use ordinary links instead.
What happened in Ticketmaster v. Microsoft?
Ticketmaster sued Microsoft in 1997 for linking from its Seattle Sidewalk city guide straight to pages inside Ticketmaster’s site. The case settled in 1999, with Microsoft agreeing to link to Ticketmaster’s home page.
Is deep linking legal?
Generally yes. A federal court ruled in 2000 that ordinary deep linking is not copyright infringement. Framing or copying someone else’s content raises more legal risk.
Who runs this site now?
Doyle APC, a San Diego law firm that represents people nationwide in mass tort cases. Doyle APC handles social media addiction claims together with experienced co-counsel. Learn more about the firm.