Brussels & Washington DC – Monday 25 June

• TAG has added its signature to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the European Commission and the digital advertising industry to tackle ad-funded piracy.

• TAG encourages all marketers and companies engaged in digital advertising to offer their support for the MoU and commit to addressing the issue.

• TAG offers an effective Certified Against Piracy Program through which companies can demonstrate they adhere to the requirements on the MoU.

The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), an advertising industry initiative to fight criminal activity in the digital advertising supply chain, today welcomed and signed the European Commission’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Online Advertising and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

The MoU represents the culmination of many years work and discussion between the European Commission, the digital advertising sector and the creative content community, and TAG strongly encourages marketers and companies engaged in digital advertising to add their signatures to the MoU. Most of the companies that have already signed up are using TAG’s Certified Against Piracy program to demonstrate their compliance.

The MoU’s goal is to strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights and reduce the harm caused by infringement. It specifically commits brand advertisers and companies engaged in digital advertising to minimize the placement of advertisements on digital properties and thus reduce the revenues that such properties gain from digital advertising revenue – the so-called ‘follow the money’ approach.

TAG welcomes and supports the European Commission’s efforts to tackle ad-supported piracy. TAG will continue to work collaboratively with the digital advertising industry and the creative content community – both through TAG’s existing Anti-Piracy Working Group and under the auspices of the European Commission’s stakeholder group – in fighting ad-funded piracy. It is a core part of TAG’s mission in tackling criminal activity in digital advertising.

Nick Stringer, Vice President of Global Engagement & Operations at TAG, said: “TAG has worked with the European Commission and industry to help take this important step in tackling ad-funded piracy. We encourage companies to demonstrate their adherence to the MoU by meeting the requirements of TAG’s Certified Against Piracy Program. We look forward to continuing to work with the European Commission, the digital ad sector and the creative content community in addressing this issue.”

Companies considering publicly committing to the MoU will be able to join TAG’s Certified Against Piracy Program to demonstrate their adherence to the MoU, ensuring that all of their European operations are covered.  The Certified Against Piracy Program has had a significant impact in tackling ad-supported piracy since its launch in 2015.  A 2017 research study by Ernst & Young showed that such industry efforts have cut pirate revenue by 48 to 61 percent in the U.S.

About TAG:

The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) is the leading global certification programme fighting criminal activity and increasing trust in the digital advertising industry. Created by the digital advertising industry’s leading trade organizations, TAG’s mission is to eliminate fraudulent traffic, combat malware, prevent internet piracy, and promote greater transparency in digital advertising. TAG advances those initiatives by bringing companies across the digital advertising supply chain together to set the highest standards. TAG is the first and only registered Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) for the digital advertising industry. For more information on TAG, please visit www.tagtoday.net.