May 3, 2012
On May 3, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) released a statement of best practices designed to help advertisers prevent their ads from appearing on rogue websites dedicated to trafficking in stolen content.
The Directors Guild of America applauded the initiative in a statement:
“We commend the advertising industry for taking the steps to initiate a voluntary best practice designed to help advertisers avoid inadvertently supporting illegal websites that traffic in stolen content. Voluntary efforts like these can make a very real and much needed difference in the ability of mass content thieves and profiteers to continue operating. By encouraging advertisers to avoid illegal sites, this initiative will help ensure that the American consumer, seeing a familiar brand advertisement on a website, is not unwittingly led to believe they are dealing with a legal site. We hope today’s announcement will spur other intermediaries and participants in the digital marketplace to seriously examine how their own best practices could evolve to contribute to the reduction of Internet theft, the protection of the consumer and the promotion of American innovation and creativity.”