The Legality of Ad-Blocking
CNET News.com writers Anne Broache and Declan McCullagh write that Web ad blocking may not be (entirely) legal. Browser add-ons that hide advertisements on web pages have drawn the ire of some web publishers. There’s no lawsuit yet, but the authors say it’s only a matter of time. “Any lawsuit would likely invoke two arguments,” they write, “that copyright infringements are taking place (through derivative works), and that the Web site’s terms of service agreement is being violated.”