This depends on YOU: will you help us take Free Expression to new heights at the Supreme Court?

Your support is vital to ensure our Supreme Court case has impact

Hi, it’s Alana here! I’m the Director of Fund Development here at OpenMedia - so it’s my job to make sure projects have the funding needed to transform into the impactful work we’re known for.

Our next move involves one of the most important legal cases for online free expression in history. But before I get to why your support will be vital to our success, I’ll start off with a refresher on yesterday’s exciting announcement.

In case you missed it, OpenMedia is intervening in a game-changing Canadian Supreme Court case that will have huge implications for the future of the Internet. This case will fundamentally shape free expression online and our right to access information around the world. No matter where in the world you live, you’ll be impacted by the outcome.

The Supreme Court will be considering an appeal to adecision made last year by the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Equustek Solutions Inc. -v- Jack that required removal of results from its global search engine index.

It’ll come as no surprise to anyone that legal work is expensive — and all the more so when it comes to the Supreme Court. We’re going to need all the help we can get to succeed — can you chip in what you can today?

The stakes couldn’t be higher: If this case goes poorly, we could see a world-wide domino effect of foreign governments justifying the censorship of perfectly legal and legitimate links by emulating a precedent set in a Canadian court.  But if we win, all of us will benefit from a clear legal standard for free expression around the globe.

That’s the kind of win we know is worth doing whatever it takes, including longer days at the office and committing to legal work, which is especially expensive for a small (but mighty) non-profit like us.

Which leads me to the heart of this blog, the part that explains why your support will be vital to our success. When we realized this case was something we had to take on, we knew we weren’t going to be able to do it without crowdfunded help from our community.

Will you be a foundational supporter on the first days of this campaign?

Your contribution will ensure we have the support we need to make the strongest case possible, making sure your right to free expression online is protected.

Imagine a world where the information you need is no longer searchable online because of a court order in the opposite corner of the globe. Is it really fair that a court in one country should be able to tell Internet users anywhere else in the world what they can and cannot search?

We didn’t think so, and that’s why we are stepping in, to represent thousands of Internet users like you, at the Supreme Court. We’ve only got one shot at this, so we need to go all in to build the best argument we can.

The first three days of a crowdfunder are critical to the overall success of a campaign. For someone in charge of fundraising that’s slightly terrifying, but thanks to amazing support from people who’ve already contributed — we’re off to a solid start.

But right now it’s really important we muster up every bit of funding we possibly can, so that OpenMedia can dedicate the resources needed to build a winning case.

Your support will ensure that we are able to convince the one of the most influential courts in the world that the Internet should be a protected medium of communication for Free Expression. I hope you’ll stand with us in the fight for free expression on this historic campaign — because we can’t do it without you! Are you in?