GroupM blacklists websites with pirated content

GroupM has blocked more than 2,000 US websites from displaying its ad content under the premise they carry pirated content.

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The media planning and buying operation of WPP Group has implemented the digital media policy in a bid to protect its clients from having their ads appear against illegitimate content.

It has identified more than 2,000 US sites that carry pirated content, and this list will be updated and expanded over the coming months, with the view to rolling it out across GroupM’s global operations.

From today (9 June) publishers will have to sign up to its new anti-piracy policy if they wish to carry ad content from GroupM, which spends around $6bn (£3.66bn) a year on online ad space for global clients including Unilever and IBM.

GroupM Interaction’s global CEO Rob Norman says:”We’re serious about combating piracy and protecting our clients’ intellectual property as forcefully as we can. This policy extends to digital media buyers at all GroupM agencies, as well as other WPP companies like Team Detroit, which manages Ford’s media business.”

WPP-owned GroupM, parent company of agencies MEC, MediaCom and Mindshare, will continue to work with its content-producing clients to identify pirated sites.

“Pirate sites are known to change domains, so we need to keep on top of the list of identified offenders to enforce this policy to its fullest effect,” said Norman.

Earlier this year Samsung pulled its ads from appearing against damaging content on a Google Android mobile app. The app lets users download and store music to their phone for free, a factor Samsung was concerned would be in breach of the music’s copyright.

This story first appeared on New Media Age. For more digital stories and analysis’ from NMA click here now