This post by FMC Legal Intern Satie Munn

Earlier today, major companies Conde Nast, AOL, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo! and others committed to a set of best practices aimed at reducing so-called “ad-supported piracy” online. The White House Office of the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released  best practices guidelines that aim to reduce the flow of advertising revenue to operators of sites that are principally dedicated to selling counterfeit goods or engaging in copyright infringement.

If you’re tuned into the music-tech-policy punditsphere, you’ve probably come across debates about “brand-supported piracy.” Put simply, this is when major corporations have their products advertised on sites that offer music, movies and TV shows to which they don’t have the rights. This doesn’t sit well with creators and content companies, who are frustrated at third parties making money from unauthorized access to their works.

As longtime champions of a legitimate digital marketplace where artists are compensated and fans can easily find lawful content, we understand the concerns. read more