The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) has called on advertisers and brand holders to support its work against Intellectual Property (IP) crime.
The City of London Police’s unit recently launched its Infringing Website List (IWL) as part of Operation Creative, a project set up to prevent websites from providing unauthorised access to copyright content.
IWL is an online portal offering the digital advertising sector an up-to-date list of copyright infringing sites.
Detective chief inspector Andy Fyfe, head of PIPCU, said: ‘If an advert from an established brand appears on an infringing website not only does it lend the site a look of legitimacy, but inadvertently the brand and advertiser are funding online crime.
‘Therefore the IWL also serves as a safety tool, ensuring the reputation of advertisers and brands are not discredited through association with illegal websites.’
Geoff Taylor, BPI chief executive, added: ‘The early results from Operation Creative show that through working with the police and the online advertising industry, we can begin to disrupt the funding that sustains illegal websites and the advertising that lends them a false air of legitimacy.
‘These sites expose consumers to scams and malware, deny creators their living, and harm brands by associating them with illegal and unsafe content.’
A recent report by the Digital Citizens Alliance estimated that in 2013, the most popular 30 piracy websites generated $227m (£136m) from advertising and even small sites are making $100,000 a year.
PIPCU is par of City of London Police and was established to protect UK industries that produce legitimate physical goods and online and digital content.
The City of London Police’s unit recently launched its Infringing Website List (IWL) as part of Operation Creative, a project set up to prevent websites from providing unauthorised access to copyright content.
IWL is an online portal offering the digital advertising sector an up-to-date list of copyright infringing sites.
Detective chief inspector Andy Fyfe, head of PIPCU, said: ‘If an advert from an established brand appears on an infringing website not only does it lend the site a look of legitimacy, but inadvertently the brand and advertiser are funding online crime.
‘Therefore the IWL also serves as a safety tool, ensuring the reputation of advertisers and brands are not discredited through association with illegal websites.’
Geoff Taylor, BPI chief executive, added: ‘The early results from Operation Creative show that through working with the police and the online advertising industry, we can begin to disrupt the funding that sustains illegal websites and the advertising that lends them a false air of legitimacy.
‘These sites expose consumers to scams and malware, deny creators their living, and harm brands by associating them with illegal and unsafe content.’
A recent report by the Digital Citizens Alliance estimated that in 2013, the most popular 30 piracy websites generated $227m (£136m) from advertising and even small sites are making $100,000 a year.
PIPCU is par of City of London Police and was established to protect UK industries that produce legitimate physical goods and online and digital content.
