AdBlock Plus wins in German court, a setback for Microsoft, Google, and advertisers

[Reefa]

A German court in Hamburg has ruled that the practice of blocking advertising is legal, throwing a wrench into the plans of advertising and publishing giants like Microsoft and Google to stop AdBlock Plus, the highly popular Web page ad blocker.

German publishers Zeit Online and Handelsblatt brought the suit against Eyeo, the company that owns Adblock Plus, which is also based in Germany. The publishers filed suit against Eyeo last December, saying Adblock Plus should not be allowed to block ads on their websites.

Microsoft, Google, and some French publishers were reportedly considering a suit against AdBlock Plus as well, with the chief of a French publisher's association telling AFP that its members lose 20% to 40% of revenue due to AdBlock Plus, which has 144 million users worldwide.

One of those users turned out to be a legal aide to the judge, who wound up becoming involved in the trial. The judge asked the aide, whom he knew to be an Adblock Plus user, whether it was clear to her what she was getting into when she installed Adblock Plus on her device. The woman said that both Adblock Plus's functionality and its whitelist initiative, called Acceptable Ads, were both explained in a clear manner.

"We are extremely happy with the decision reached today by the Hamburg regional court," Eyeo said in a statement. "This is a victory for every single Internet user because it confirms each individual's right to block annoying ads, protect their privacy, and, by extension, determine his or her own Internet experience. It is living proof of the unalienable right of every user to enjoy online self-determination."

The task for Microsoft, et al, has just gotten a lot harder. The German court has set a precedent in stating that users have the legal right to control their PCs and decide what they see when they browse the Web. Now they have to get that precedent overturned before they can take action against Eyeo.

Eyeo is trying to soften the blow with its Acceptable Ads initiative so people can block annoying ads but allow what it deems "decent ads" to come through, allowing for a compromise between users and advertisers.

"Now that the legalities are out of the way, we want to reach out to other publishers and advertisers and content creators and encourage them to work with Adblock Plus rather than against us," Eyeo's Ben Williams wrote on the company blog.

"Let's develop new forms of nonintrusive ads that are actually useful and welcomed by users; let's discover ways to make better ads; let's push forward to create a more sustainable Internet ecosystem for everyone," he added. :showoff:

networkworld.com

[Roy W]

:showoff: What a great verdict on behalf of all those who "hate" advertisers

[mastershake]

AWESOME victory!!!

[zavana]

yep more opportunities to write malware into your nonintrusive ads

[SnakeMasteR]

:showoff: What a great verdict on behalf of all those who "hate" advertisers

Not really surprising, it's not ruled mainly against those advertisers that brought up the case, it's more ruled in favour of the freedom users should have to decide how they wanna use the internet. Even if Adblocker's would be considered illegal from courts everywhere, the last word and decision has the user and i doubt advertisers would start suing every single one of them.

I personally don't block all website ads because i can decide which ads on which webpages i wanna see and which not, those sites that serve me and at the same time need ads and donations to cover their costs, get a global allowance and i block individual ads that get on my nerves afterwards if they are intended to behave like that, a silly annoyance. This way i can use websites how i want without having all ads blocked by default and that's a option most Adblocker's offer.

If some ads wouldn't be so intrusive and shitty buggers like 800x800 in the middle of the screen (how drunk can one be to create those stupid ads, i mean seriously), there wouldn't even be the need to create blockers afterall.

[948bennett]

A very nice topic to read upon waking up :D

[Alhaitham]

Great news

Congrats to all of us

[davmil]

I hope the decision holds up in US if necessary.

[humble3d]

They will continue to extract "A pound of flesh" from all of us...

[dcs18]

yep more opportunities to write malware into your nonintrusive ads

Right - malware which would affect only Dummies who did not know how easy it is to prevent non-intrusive ads. :tehe:

[werty12345]

yep more opportunities to write malware into your nonintrusive ads

Right - malware which would affect only Dummies who did not know how easy it is to prevent non-intrusive ads. :tehe:

Nice theme. Mind sharing the source?

[dcs18]

yep more opportunities to write malware into your nonintrusive ads

Right - malware which would affect only Dummies who did not know how easy it is to prevent non-intrusive ads. :tehe:

Nice theme. Mind sharing the source?

The name of the theme is Sublime - available to Users of Stardock WindowBlinds. :)

[werty12345]

yep more opportunities to write malware into your nonintrusive ads

Right - malware which would affect only Dummies who did not know how easy it is to prevent non-intrusive ads. :tehe:

Nice theme. Mind sharing the source?

The name of the theme is Sublime - available to Users of Stardock WindowBlinds. :)

Thank you :)

[LeeSmithG]

I turn over the television channel when adverts come on.

That's why I licenced an application to block adverts on the internet when I am browsing.

I don't want to see them.

Well done the German court, hopefully the rest will follow suit.

[Alhaitham]

Adblock Plus: Another court, another (obvious) win for ad blocking ... and Acceptable Ads too