Darkystar

Is it really illegal to hotlink images?
What about simply linking with "a href" tag to image?
Is it any different?
I have some guy bugging me because my surfers are hotlinking images on message board .
I said him to fuck off for now, but I'm still worried about this.
I know it's not ethical to do so, but are there laws to back this up?

Can my site be shut down with DMCA notice for hotlinking or not?

Thanks