Using Adblock Plus to block ads is legal, rules German court—for the fifth time

Kuttz

Level 13
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
May 9, 2015
625
Using Adblock Plus to block ads on websites is legal, a German regional court has ruled. The suit, brought by the company behind the leading German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, is the fifth such case to be decided in favour of the makers of the software, who are based in Germany. The court in Munich also ruled that the "Acceptable Ads initiative," a scheme that requires larger companies to pay for their ads to be whitelisted by Adblock Plus, is acceptable under German law.

As a blog post by Adblock Plus's Ben Williams explains, the court found that there is no contract between publishers and visitors to websites as a result of which users have “agreed” to view all the ads a publisher serves. "To the contrary, said the court, users have the right to block those or any ads, because no such contract exists," Williams writes. "Additionally, the judge ruled that by offering publishers a way to serve ads that ad-blocking users will accept, the Acceptable Ad initiative provides them an avenue to monetise their content, and therefore is favourable, not disadvantageous, to them."

In a significant rebuke to the company behind Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Munich regional court said that "the law does not exist to save or uphold publishers’ business model(s). Rather, according to the ruling, it is up to them to innovate."

A similar court case was brought last September against Adblock Plus's parent company Eyeo by the German publishing giant Axel Springer, this time in Cologne. According to an earlier post on the Adblock Plus site, the publisher claimed it was "the constitutional right of the press to advertise," and that the Adblock Plus software was infringing on that right.

In support of their case, Springer's lawyers reportedly claimed “The core business of the plaintiff [Axel Springer] is to deliver ads to its visitors. Journalistic content is just a vehicle to get readers to view the ads.” As in the latest judgment, the court in Cologne was unimpressed with this line of argument, and ruled that both the adblocking software and the Acceptable Ads whitelist were legal.

More at: Using Adblock Plus to block ads is legal, rules German court—for the fifth time
 

Xtwillight

Level 6
Verified
Well-known
Jul 1, 2014
297
This is a winning, For each adblocker!
But it is not finished.
The companys and publishers, will furthermore to attempt against Adblocker
to complain.
The companies and publishers is it not interested if on their websites
partially advertising is, and Users on Dangerous sides come.
Or if these then the privacy spying from the Users.

I'm waiting for the Day, where a User a companys or publishers
in front court accuses.
And proofs Has, the User on this site has get damaged or Malwar!
 

upnorth

Moderator
Verified
Staff Member
Malware Hunter
Well-known
Jul 27, 2015
5,459
News sites like Forbes and Wired very aggressively force viewers to unblock there sites. I deleted those sites from my favorites and also permanently blocked them elsewhere.
 

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top