German media companies want adblocker ban

A number of German media companies have taken the company behind the popular extension Adblock Plus to court. According to the companies, the practices of Adblock Plus, which charges companies money to still show advertisements, are illegal.

The media companies ProSiebenSat.1, Axel Springer and the German branch of RTL have filed a lawsuit against the maker of Adblock Plus, Eyeo. The companies have confirmed this to Der Spiegel. There was some ambiguity about the charges; Adblock Plus itself denies having received any charges.

According to the media companies, Adblock Plus’ business model is anti-competitive and against the law. Adblock Plus blocks all ads by default, but companies can ask the company behind the extension to allow certain “reluctant” ads to pass. However, they have to pay for that.

Other German media companies would also consider taking the creator of the extension to court. Media companies have been complaining for some time that they are missing out on revenue due to ad blockers: users who don’t see ads cost money, but yield nothing.