It's easy for websites to make a profit selling online advertising. Sites brimming with pirated movies and television shows are being supported, inadvertently, by major marketers that buy ad space on them. Thanks to the rise of automated ad-buying technologies, more ad dollars are flowing to sites with stolen copyrighted content than ever before, ad executives say. Who should do the policing is a matter of debate in the industry. In February, nonprofit Internet safety group Digital Citizens Alliance commissioned MediaLink to research how much money these sites are earning. MediaLink examined 596 sites where viewers can find pirated movies and TV shows, and estimated those sites generate a total of $227 million in advertising revenue annually.
Should those that purchase advertising on piracy sites be identified and held accountable, both ethically and legally, for the violation of intellectual property laws? Is it possible that major corporations that are advertising on piracy sites may not be aware of the actions of their advertising agencies or other third parties placing the ads? Does this in any way negate their responsibility?