Linking Your Website to TREC

(from Texas Administrative Code RULE §206.54 - State Web Site Link and Privacy Policy )

(1) Requirements Applicable to Those Linking to State Agency Web Sites.

• (A) Linking to State Agency Web Sites. Organizations and individuals (the site owner) are encouraged to link to state agency information. Advance permission is not required before linking. Links should be made using the appropriate base URL of www.agency-identifier.state.tx.us or such other URL as the agency may use. Because state agencies may change subpages at any time without notice, the site owner should routinely verify links to state agency subpages.

• (B) What Site Owners May Not Do in Linking to State Agency Web Sites. Site owners may not capture state agency pages within the site owner's frames, present state agency Web site content as that of the site owner, otherwise misrepresent the content of the state agency pages or misinform users about the origin or ownership of the content of the state agency Web site. Any link to a state agency site should be a full forward link that passes the client browser to the state agency site unencumbered. The BACK button should return the visitor to the site owner's site if the visitor wishes to back out. Although the content of state agency Web sites is available to the public, certain information on some state agency Web sites may be trademarked, service marked, or otherwise protected as the state agency's intellectual property, and all agency content is protected by federal copyright laws. Use of protected intellectual property must be in accordance with federal and state law and must reflect the copyright, trademark, service mark or other intellectual property ownership of the state agency. Site owners should not link to individual state agency graphics or tables within state agency pages, especially in an effort to place the downloading burden on the state agency servers. Such an action may be considered a misuse of state resources. Site owners should contact the appropriate state agency to request permission to use a copy of the state agency's graphics within the site owner's pages.

• (C) Accessibility. Owners of sites linked to state agency pages shall use reasonable efforts to ensure that persons with disabilities may access these sites.

• (D) Copying and Use of Information by Web Site Owners Linking to State Agency Sites. The information posted on a state agency Web site may be copied so long as it is presented in a non-misleading way and does not imply that either the site owner or the information, as it is presented on the site owner's Web site, is endorsed by the State. Use of the information must identify the state agency that is the source of the information, its Web address, the date the information was copied from the state agency's Web site by the site owner and must be accompanied by a statement that neither the site owner nor the information, as it is presented on the site owner's Web site, is endorsed by the State or any state agency. A state agency may not charge a fee to access, use or reproduce information on its Web site or to link to information on its Web site, unless specifically authorized to do so by the Texas Legislature. To protect the intellectual property of state agencies, copied information must reflect the copyright, trademark, service mark or other intellectual property rights of the state agency whose protected information is being used by the site owner.

• (E) Links From a State Agency Web Site. A state agency that only provides links to other state agencies and institutions of higher education will post a link to this State Web Site Link and Privacy Policy. A state agency that provides links to private Web sites shall publish a linking policy that includes its standards and criteria for linking to the private Web site. State agencies are strongly encouraged to publish a disclaimer policy that specifically disclaims liability and responsibility for private Web site content. State agencies that link to private Web sites will post a link to this State Web Site Link and Privacy Policy from the Web page that identifies their specific policies.

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