The adoption of adblockers has ignited discussions in recent times of whether using adblock is illegal. Consumers have incorporated them to steer clear of online ads, but this has resulted in publishers losing out on substantial advertising revenue (Group M estimates approximately $35 billion).
The legality of adblock has been called into question, with both publishers and adblockers presenting various legal theories and asking "Are ad blockers illegal?"
Adblockers have defended their actions as being in line with what consumers would do if given the chance, while publishers argue that adblockers hinder their business, create unfair competition, and even violate copyright law.
Moreover, some suggest that adblockers should not profit from blocking ads by coercing publishers to pay for "acceptable ads" or showing alternative ads.
(For questions about types of adblockers, adblock vendors, anti-adblock, and more, visit our Adblock Revenue Recovery Guide.)
Adblock Legal Disputes in the EU
Legal disputes on this issue have taken place, particularly in the EU. In multiple decisions on the topic of unfair competition, courts have sided with adblockers. However, they have been more receptive to publisher copyright arguments.
For instance, the world's largest adblocking company, Eyeo, was ordered to stop circumventing Axel Springer's efforts to protect access to their copyrighted content on Bild.de. Eyeo was required to remove filter list entries and even public postings that described how to circumvent Bild.de copyright access control measures.
Copyright and Access Control
Copyright law is clear that circumventing copyright access control is illegal, and there are additional questions about whether modifying copyrighted website code creates illegal, unlicensed derivative works. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and related global anti-circumvention laws play a crucial role in such disputes.
The requirement for anti-circumvention laws was first established in 1996 with the creation of the World Intellectual Property Organization's Copyright Treaty.
Admiral was the first company to create a copyright access control platform specifically for digital publishers, based upon the DMCA, Article 6 of European Directive 2001/29/EC, and related global anti-circumvention laws.
Representatives of the world's largest adblock filter list, EasyList, have publicly stated that EasyList will not add filters that circumvent Admiral's copyright access control platform and will remove circumvention filters if they exist.
As Deadline reports, adblockers cross the line when they prevent a website from using an anti-adblock detection script.
Website owners are allowed to have terms and conditions for use of their website and content, those terms can include a value exchange like viewing ads to support content production and adblock software should not be used to disable a publisher's copyright access control or adblock detection script.
Lastly, Senator Ron Wyden has urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the legality of adblockers extorting payment to show ads and how companies like Google fund the world's largest adblock company in exchange for getting unique treatment for their ads by the blockers.
In fact, unlike opt-in access control systems, these paid-ad schemes force ads on adblock users by default, burying opt-out in advanced settings.
Adblock Legality Summary
In conclusion, adblocking involves a mix of legal issues. The courts have established that publishers are entitled to protect their copyrighted content, while the world's largest filter list has clarified that circumvention filters are impermissible.
In the face of these legal challenges, ad-blockers have directed their attention toward the legal standing of ad-blocking activities while simultaneously respecting access control.
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