TREB case dealt with VOW (password-protected) publication — did NOT mandate fully public, non-password-protected publication

Claim. What the case LEFT unsettled: it "largely dealt with allowing publication of the data through virtual office websites (VOWs), which are password-protected" — it did NOT mandate fully public, non-password-protected publication. The push to publish outside VOWs was anticipated but not decided by this case.

Quote.

"Largely dealt with allowing publication of the data through virtual office websites (VOWs), which are password-protected."

Source. Global News + practitioner analysis, accessed 2026-06-21.

Confidence. Verified for the case scope; single-source / DS for the "next fight" prediction.

Caveats. Consumer portals like HouseSigma operate behind email signup (functionally VOW-like) — they have not provoked a successor case on the fully-public question.

Implication / use. Critical guard against over-reading the 2018 outcome. "MLS data became public" overstates — "MLS sold data is now allowed on password-protected VOWs" is the precise statement.