Re: Right to Link vs proposed Australian “link fee” legislation

On 1/16/21 12:36 PM, Tim Berners-Lee wrote:
> Has anyone noticed this call
> https://www.accc.gov.au/focus-areas/digital-platforms/news-media-bargaining-code
> from the Australian government for comments on a plan to force Google and Facebook to pay money to news media businesses for content they display on their services?  This is a final call of a proposal whose first versions came out in July.
> 
> The web architecture issue here seems to be the right to link. The code, if it became law, would force Google search and Facebook Newsfeed [specifically]  to pay a fee to the owner of the destination content (news publisher) when the link is displayed, not even necessarily followed.
> 
> The architecture of the WWW generally involves the right to link to something with impunity -- is this proposal in direct with that right?
> 
> What do folks, and the TAG, think?

I notice that page numbered 5 of the bill (though the 9th page of the 
PDF) says:

   "a service makes content available if: . . . a link to the
   content is provided on the service"

and:

   "a user of a service interacts with content made available by
   the service if: . . . a link to the content is provided on the
   service and the user interacts with the link".

https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/bills/r6652_first-reps/toc_pdf/20177b01.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf

David Booth

Received on Saturday, 16 January 2021 18:34:53 UTC