edit: adjusted title slightly
In general, you should pay for content that youβre going to use commercially
Sure, but merely linking to a page isnβt reusing the content. If said content was being embedded, rehashed or otherwise shown then a compensation would be fair. But merely linking to a page should absolutely be free. Thatβs a massively important cornerstone of the internet that shouldnβt be compromised on.
Linking directs traffic which can be monetized by the website itself, it shouldnβt require additional fees on top.
Thereβs a difference between primary content like a website, and secondary content like a cache of a page. I think services doing the latter should be a bit more aggressive about charging fees for commercial entities linking to them, since theyβre providing a service separate from the primary source.
