Oslo court blocks Meta's new business terms for Facebook and Instagram

Norwegian publishers have won the first round of their dispute with Meta. On 28 October 2026 the Oslo District Court issued an order prohibiting Meta Platforms Ireland Limited from introducing changes to the commercial terms for Facebook and Instagram business services.

What the dispute is about

The new terms provided for the use of automated tools to crawl and collect information from websites linked to business accounts. This covered not only content posted on Facebook but also content on external sites.

Publishers fear that Meta could use this to obtain entire press archives, including articles behind paywalls. The material could then be used to develop AI-based services that would compete with the publishers' own offerings. According to the Norwegian publishers' association MBL, the terms did not allow the disputed provisions to be rejected while keeping a business account. A publisher would have to accept them or give up its presence on platforms through which it reaches part of its audience.

The application to the court was filed by organisations including NRK, TV 2, Schibsted, Amedia, Polaris Media, Aller Media, Dagens Næringsliv, Mentor Medier, the NTB news agency and Hordaland Folkeblad. It was filed a day earlier, and the court handled it as an urgent matter.

What the court found

The ban is to remain in force until a final ruling on whether the proposed provisions are lawful. According to MBL, the court found it plausible that Meta is using its dominant market position to impose unfair terms. It also pointed to the risk of newsrooms losing control over material produced over many years. Meta has been ordered to pay costs of about NOK 1.2 million.

This is not a final judgment, however. The order was issued without hearing Meta's representatives, and the company can ask for the case to be reheard with both sides present.

Meta's position and what happens next

The new terms were due to take effect on 30 October. After protests from the industry, Meta removed the direct reference to training AI models. In its place came wording about developing, improving and maintaining advertising and business products. Lawyers representing the publishers argue that such wording is broad enough to cover AI-based solutions too. Meta rejects that interpretation and says the changes do not give it new rights to use other people's material in the way critics suggest.

The Norwegian media industry wants, among other things, Meta to respect robots.txt files, to enter into separate, voluntary agreements on the use of journalism in AI systems, and not to reduce the reach of publishers who refuse.

Almost at the same time, Meta said it would not introduce new terms without broad consultation with the industry. The rollout, previously postponed to 20 November, may be delayed further. Until then, the existing rules apply.

Organisations representing publishers and advertisers have also asked EU institutions and the UK competition authority to intervene.

What this means for you

The order applies in Norway and does not directly change how ordinary users use Facebook or Instagram. If you run a business or a content page on a Meta business account in the UK, it is worth following the case, as the dispute over the new terms is also being raised with the UK competition authority. For now, all that is known is that the existing rules remain in force until further notice.