German courts have declared the use of adblocking, the art of using tools in your web browser to block advertising on websites, 100 percent legal following a four-month trial.
It was two German companies, Zeit Online GmbH and Handelsblatt GmbH, who brought the case against adblock vendor Adblock Plus (ABP) in Hamburg. The lawsuit charged that Adblock Plus and its parent company Eyeo should not be allowed to block ads on websites owned by the plaintiffs. Adblock Plus said the accusers sought an “injunctive relief”, called “Unterlassungsanspruch” in German.
The Hamburg judge ruled against the plaintiffs and in favor of Adblock Plus. Adblock Plus said that the decision aids in “upholding the right of Adblock Plus users everywhere to continue to block annoying ads and protect their privacy”.
Adblock’s software was already legal, but the decision by the German courts will likely set a precedent on future cases brought against Adblock Plus and its rivals.
In February, ABP was accused of receiving payments from the likes of Google, Microsoft and Amazon to allow adverts to slip through Adblock’s software.
Internet giants Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Taboola have reportedly paid AdBlock Plus to allow their ads to pass through its filter software. A source told the Financial Times that Adblock has been pocketing up to 30 percent of the ad revenues for ads that it filters through its software from the web companies.
More downsizing at Vodafone after German operation announces 2,000 jobs will be axed, as automation…
IPPR report warns AI could remove almost 8 million jobs in the United Kingdom, with…
European Hyperloop Center in the Netherlands seeks to advance futuristic transport technology, despite US setbacks
NHS Dumfries and Galloway condemns ransomware gang for publishing patients clinical data after cyberattack earlier…
Research data suggests fewer people are using Elon Musk's X, but platform insists 250 million…
US assurances required. Julian Assange handed a slender reprieve in fight against his extradition to…