Companies including Netflix and Spotify are fighting the CRTC’s order that they pay five per cent of their Canadian revenue to fund local news and other Canadian content. (The Logic)

Talking point: The levy, which applies to all foreign streaming services that make $25 million or more from Canadian broadcasting, is expected to bring in about $200 million per year to fund Canadian productions. The companies argue the CRTC doesn’t have the legal authority to impose the levy. The Motion Picture Association, which represents Netflix, Disney and others, says they shouldn’t have to contribute to Canadian news, which they’re not in the business of producing themselves. U.S. lawmakers and business groups have raised concerns about the act, and it could prove an irritant in the trade relationship between the two countries. The Federal Court of Appeal gave the companies a reprieve last year, and ordered they won’t have to pay the new levy until the court makes a final decision.