The longstanding debate over whether Bill C-18, the Online News Act, requires payment for linking came to an end yesterday. Government officials admitted that even basic quotes from news articles that include a hyperlink to the original source would scope user posts into the law and require platforms such as Google and Facebook to negotiate payment for the links. As noted below, even that position may understate the impact of the bill, which appears to also cover a user post of a news quote without a link. In other words, merely quoting a few sentences from a news article on an Internet platform is treated as making news content available, which triggers a requirement for the platforms to negotiate payment. This position runs counter to Canada’s copyright obligations under the Berne Convention and has no place in a country committed to freedom of expression.
Archive for November 30th, 2022

Law Bytes
Episode 186: Andy Kaplan-Myrth on the CRTC’s Last Ditch Attempt to Fix Canada’s Internet Competition Problem
byMichael Geist

November 27, 2023
Michael Geist
November 20, 2023
Michael Geist
November 13, 2023
Michael Geist
November 6, 2023
Michael Geist
October 30, 2023
Michael Geist
Search Results placeholder
Recent Posts
Skillful Negotiation or Legislative Fail? Taking Stock of the Bill C-18 Deal With Google
Salvaging Bill C-18: Government Upends Legislation To Bring Google Onside the Online News Act
Accountability and Antisemitism: The Canadian Heritage Committee Needs To Step Up
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 186: Andy Kaplan-Myrth on the CRTC’s Last Ditch Attempt to Fix Canada’s Internet Competition Problem
On Media Bailouts and Bias: Why Government Media Policy Is Undermining Public Trust