Germany's supreme court, the Bundesgerichsthof, has ruled that Adblock Plus, developed by Eyeo, does not interfere with press freedom nor "constitute an aggressive commercial act". Publisher Axel Springer, which filed the lawsuit, argued AdBlock Plus violated German copyright law and threatened the "quality and variety of information services". Claas-Hendrik Soehring, Axel Springer's head of media law, said in a statement following the ruling that the court's decision was "wrong" and the publisher will take the case up to the Bundesverfassungsgericht, or Federal Constitutional Court. Laura Dornheim, Eyeo's head of communications, said the publisher had "plenty of ways" to defend against ad blocking and highlighted its digital media department's "double-digit revenue growth". The case is being closely watched in Germany, where it could have a major impact on how people access online content.
Germany's supreme court, the Bundesgerichsthof, has ruled that Adblock Plus, developed by Eyeo, does not interfere with press freedom nor "constitute an aggressive commercial act". Publisher Axel Springer, which filed the lawsuit, argued AdBlock Plus violated German copyright law and threatened the "quality and variety of information services". Laura Dornheim, Eyeo's head of communications, said the publisher had "plenty of ways" to defend against ad blocking and highlighted its digital media department's "double-digit revenue growth". The case is being closely watched in Germany, where it could have a major impact on how people access online content.