Copyright and hyperlinking: confusion reigns in the EU

The Court of Justice of the European Union is set to rule on another case concerning copyright infringement and hyperlinking, and lawyers hope it can clear up the current confusion. TBO reports.

“Hyperlinking is a form of copying. It is pure intellectual dishonesty to say otherwise,” one of our readers defiantly proclaimed.

The strongly worded opinion was one of many put forward in what was one the most discussed topics in the weekly survey provided by TBO’s sister publication WIPR.

The debate, on whether a hyperlink to infringing material can itself fall foul of copyright law, centred on a recent opinion handed down by the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (CJEU) official, the advocate-general (AG).