Tumblr secures court permission to challenge decision by Ireland's media watchdog
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The High Court has formally granted microblogging site Tumblr permission to challenge a decision to include it in a list of 10 “video-sharing platforms” to be regulated under a new online safety code.
Tumblr claims it is "clearly not" a video-sharing platform service and says its designation as such by media watchdog Coimisiún Na Meán amounts to an error of law, and says it should not be put in the same bracket as platforms such as YouTube.
The court fixed the hearing of its action against Coimisiún na Meán, whose functions include the regulation of online safety in the State, to a date in May.
Ms Justice Niamh Hyland, who granted the US company permission to bring its judicial review action against Coimisiún na Meán accepts the case is urgent.
The judge said the matter should be heard directly after a similar, but separate, challenge brought by another online platform Reddit against Coimisiún na Meán.
That action has been fixed for hearing in May. Tumblr's case, the judge said should follow on once Reddit's action. which was brought first in time, has concluded.
The court accepted the cases should not be heard together, due to factors including legal differences in the cases and the types of services provided by the Tumblr and Reddit platforms.
Ms Justice Hyland said it would make sense if both cases were heard by the same judge.
Coimisiún na Meán is expected to contest both matters.
In its action Tumblr Inc, a US-registered microblogging site, seeks orders quashing Coimisiún na Meán's decision of December 28 last designating the applicant as a video-sharing platform service.
It claims that it is not a video-sharing platform service and should not be subjected to the same regulatory requirements as platforms that publish and share a lot of videos.
Such platforms, Tumblr submits, are very different in terms of size, risk profile, and content compared to what it offers.
Despite its designation as such, Tumblr argues video on its platform is at best a minor and ancillary feature.
The very low rates of videos on the platform makes this apparent, its claims.
It also argues there was a fundamental failure on Coimisiún na Meán's part to engage with data supplied by to it by Tumblr, nor did the respondent explain why this material was disregarded.
Coimisiún na Meán did not explain what weight it gave to factors including the perspective of Tumblr users before it arrived at its decision to designate it as a video-sharing platform service, it is also claimed.
Represented by Emily Egan McGrath SC, with Claire Hogan Bl, Tumblr also seeks declarations from the court including that the respondent's decision is invalid and misinterprets and misapplies the definition of a video-sharing platform service under EU law and the 2009 Broadcasting Act.
It further seeks declarations the decision is incompatible with articles of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and with the general principals of EU law.