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A new anti-piracy initiative out of Sweden will see 600 advertisers actively boycott The Pirate Bay and other piracy sites when it comes to spending their advertising dollars, or krona.
The new initiative is the work of Swedish Advertisers and anti-piracy group Rights Alliance, with the express aim of preventing money from legal companies flowing to illegal sites like The Pirate Bay.
To achieve this, a public blacklist of "bad" sites has been released, and advertisers are encouraged to boycott these sites, which also includes sites like Dreamfilmhd.org and Swesub.tv.
Piracy sites often feature what one might consider an excessive amount of advertising, but many of the ads promote legal and premium products. An investigation by TorrentFreak founds ads for gambling firms Bet365 and Coral on movie download sites, as well as ads for Sky Bet, which belongs to the same group of companies as a major Hollywood studio.
Ads are often purchased in bulk, or purchased based on price and interest, and it's often difficult for advertisers to know just where exactly their ads end up on. This means that while movie studios and record labels are actively fighting piracy, they may also be the ones funding these ventures through advertising.
“There has been an evolvement over time where the illegal sites are getting more and more commercial and getting substantial amounts from advertisements," warns the Rights Alliance's Sara Lindbäck.
"The aim of the project is to raise awareness, so that advertisers/brands do't end up on the wrong sites and also to try to stop money from legal companies flowing to illegal sites."
The new initiative is the work of Swedish Advertisers and anti-piracy group Rights Alliance, with the express aim of preventing money from legal companies flowing to illegal sites like The Pirate Bay.
To achieve this, a public blacklist of "bad" sites has been released, and advertisers are encouraged to boycott these sites, which also includes sites like Dreamfilmhd.org and Swesub.tv.
Piracy sites often feature what one might consider an excessive amount of advertising, but many of the ads promote legal and premium products. An investigation by TorrentFreak founds ads for gambling firms Bet365 and Coral on movie download sites, as well as ads for Sky Bet, which belongs to the same group of companies as a major Hollywood studio.
Ads are often purchased in bulk, or purchased based on price and interest, and it's often difficult for advertisers to know just where exactly their ads end up on. This means that while movie studios and record labels are actively fighting piracy, they may also be the ones funding these ventures through advertising.
“There has been an evolvement over time where the illegal sites are getting more and more commercial and getting substantial amounts from advertisements," warns the Rights Alliance's Sara Lindbäck.
"The aim of the project is to raise awareness, so that advertisers/brands do't end up on the wrong sites and also to try to stop money from legal companies flowing to illegal sites."