A group of IP lawyers has warned the Government will have to proceed carefully in establishing a mandatory code under which Google and Facebook would be forced to pay news publishers for content, saying such a move could be struck down under existing High Court precedent.
Digital giants Google and Facebook will be required to pay for news content under a new mandatory code being developed by the Government to create a ‘level playing field’ in the Australian media industry, which is facing a sharp decline in advertising revenue driven by the coronavirus.
Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram will call for a stay of a Federal Court competition lawsuit brought by an Australian social media startup as it seeks to arbitrate the matter under Californian law.
Facebook has been hit with regulatory action by the Privacy Commissioner alleging the social media giant exposed the personal information of over 300,000 Australian users to third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, without authorisation.
A judge is expected to issue a temporary injunction Thursday barring Facebook and Instagram from blocking users who are customers of a Melbourne-based social media startup that has accused the companies of trying to quash competition.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will get an additional $26.9 million to take on Google and Facebook, but the Federal Government will proceed more slowly in implementing some of the more wide-ranging proposals in the regulator’s final digital platforms report, including suggested changes to privacy and merger review laws.
Facebook has come out against some of the competition watchdog’s recommendations in its final digital inquiry report and warned against the risk of pandering to powerful Australian media companies with regulation aimed at reining in rivals.
A group of media companies are appealing a groundbreaking defamation ruling that found they are liable for third-party comments made on their Facebook pages.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is preparing to launch five ground-breaking court cases against internet behemoths Google and Facebook, the regulator’s chair, Rod Sims, said Tuesday.
Media companies facing defamation suits by a former youth centre detainee are liable for third-party comments posted on their Facebook pages, a judge has ruled in a groundbreaking decision.