Free speech vs. copyright in Supreme Court battle between Google and B.C. firm
OTTAWA — Supreme Court of Canada justices challenged Google’s lawyers Tuesday for arguing that the company’s own free speech rights are being compromised by a B.C. injunction ordering it to delete material from its web searches.
The high court was hearing arguments in a case that pits the Internet giant against a British Columbia technology firm and highlights the ever-present tension between free speech and copyright infringement.
At issue is whether Canadian courts have the jurisdiction to make sweeping orders to block access to content on the Internet beyond Canada’s borders.
Google is challenging a 2015 ruling by the British Columbia Court of Appeal that ordered it to stop indexing or referencing websites linked to a company called Datalink Technologies Gateways.