Linking Policy

Linking to the FMC Website

You do not need to request permission to link to the Federal Maritime Commission’s website from your website. The FMC is a public website and links may be made to our website from other personal and organizational webpages. However, we request that you link to our site rather than downloading portions of it to another web server, so that viewers will see our most up-to-date information. Also, please see the related information in the sections below about the use of specific content from the FMC website.

Digital Rights, Copyright, Trademark, and Patent Laws

Most content on the FMC website is in the public domain and does not include copyright or other intellectual property notices. However, when an information resource, a product or service, subject to domestic or international copyright laws from the private sector is used or duplicated the FMC ensures that the property rights of the private sector source are adequately protected. These protections apply to any material posted to the FMC website, such as documents, graphics, or audio/video files. Thus, the copyright holder must be consulted before it is permissible to use the material in any manner.

FMC Website Information Ownership

Most information on this website is public information, except where copyrighted or otherwise noted, which may be distributed or copied. However any improper or malicious use of Commission information or alteration of Commission information is prohibited.

Additionally, the Commission Seal is the property of the Federal Maritime Commission and may not be used, copied, or altered without express permission. Federal law prohibits use of any symbol, emblem, seal, insignia or badge of any government entity (including the Federal Maritime Commission) or any colorable imitation of such words, initials, symbols, emblems, or seals in connection with any advertisement, solicitation, business activity, or product where such use could reasonably be interpreted as conveying the false impression that such advertisement, solicitation, business activity, or product is in any manner approved, endorsed, sponsored, or authorized by, or associated with the Federal Maritime Commission. See 18 U.S.C. § 701, 31 U.S.C. § 333 and 31 C.F.R. Part 37.

Furthermore, unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this site are strictly prohibited and may be punishable by law, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996.

Evaluation Criteria

The FMC provides links to other government websites and some non-government websites it deems are in accordance with the FMC Mission and Vision Statement.

Prior to including a link to an outside webpage on the Federal Maritime Commission website, we use these criteria to determine the value of its content:

Is the link is to an official U.S. Federal government website or otherwise trustworthy source?
Does the webpage provide official U.S. government information or services?
Does it contain content that complements existing information, products, and services on the FMC website?
Does it contain content that is accessible and applicable to the FMC audience and stakeholders?

In addition, all links from the FMC website must meet all of the following criteria:

Content is relevant, useful, and authoritative for citizens, businesses, and/or government officials.
Information appears to be accurate and current.
Content linked to on other websites includes a posted privacy policy that clearly describes the organization’s information handling practices.
Content is user-friendly – easy to understand and navigate.

The FMC regularly reviews the quality and usefulness of the sites it links to. However, we cannot be held responsible for their content or privacy policies as noted in the Disclaimers of Endorsement below.

Links to Other Government Websites

The FMC links to other Federal Government-owned web sites when those sites contain supplemental information that may be useful to our users.

Furthermore, the FMC can add a link to any government website that is publicly available unless directed not to by the agency that owns the site.

Because the websites of other government websites must follow the same government-wide policies that the FMC does, links to these sites (including the U.S. military) are made without notification or disclaimer.

Links to Websites not Owned by the Government

Some of the information posted on the Federal Maritime Commission’s website includes links to information created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations. This information is provided as a public service only, as these websites provide what the FMC has deemed relevant government information and/or services that are not available on an official government website. The FMC provides these links and pointers solely for your information and convenience. The inclusion of a non-government link is not a FMC endorsement of the website, nor of the opinions, products or services presented on the external site, or of any sites linked to it. When you select a link to an outside website, you are leaving the FMC website and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the outside website. The FMC is not responsible for the information collection practices of non-FMC websites.

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The Federal Maritime Commission does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information contained on a linked website and does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.

The Federal Maritime Commission does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.

The Federal Maritime Commission cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked websites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked website.

The Federal Maritime Commission is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites.

The Federal Maritime Commission does not guarantee that outside websites comply with Section 508 (accessibility requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.

Prohibitions

The Federal Maritime Commission will not include links to any website that exhibits hate, bias, or discrimination. Furthermore, the FMC reserves the right to deny or remove any link that contains misleading information or unsubstantiated claims, or is determined to be in conflict with our mission or policies.

The FMC does not endorse any products and therefore does not link to commercial sites to avoid even the slightest perception of favoritism or bias relative to other similar commercial sites. Additionally, the FMC will not link to websites which charge a user-fee for access, websites which violate federal ethics policies or only promote or endorse non-Federal products or services, nor websites that are deemed to be misleading, contain unsubstantiated claims, or are determined to be in conflict with the FMC’s mission

Privacy & Security Policy

Because it is our commitment to protect the privacy and security of your visit to the FMC’s website, no personally-identifiable information is collected unless you choose to provide us with that information. For further information, please refer to our Privacy & Security Policy webpage.