Dean points out that the Athen's Olympic site says there are rules to linking to their site. Now, while I can understand usage rules for things like logos or company property, nobody can tell me how I can create hyperlinks on my site.

With that, let's break their rules, one by one.

Hyperlink Policy

ATHENS 2004 Organising Commitee for the Olympic Games -Website Hyperlink Policy

For your protection and ours we have established a procedure for parties wishing to introduce a link to the ATHENS 2004 website on their site. By introducing a link to the ATHENS 2004 official Website on your site you are agreeing to comply with the ATHENS 2004 Website General Terms and Conditions. In order to place a link embedded in copy interested parties should:

a) Use the term ATHENS 2004 only, and no other term as the text referent

Click here for the Athens Two Thousand Four Olympicalistic Gaming Thing

b) Not associate the link with any image, esp. the ATHENS 2004 Emblem (see paragraph below)

You mean like this?

{don't click on it! It's against the rules}

c) Send a request letter to the Internet Department stating:

• Short description of site
• Reason for linking
• Unique URL containing the link (if no unique URL than just the main URL)
• Publishing period
• Contact point (e-mail address)

If you listen closely, you can hear the mailmain not delivering my letter.

Now, I'm assuming they were simply trying to have guidelines for major publications and probably not your mom and pop bloggers out there, so my Gold Medal in snarkiness may not be warranted, but it's a bit ridiculous to think that you've got rights on how someone else wishes to link to your site. Using your material, yes, but you cannot dictate how someone builds their own pages.