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"Simple" doesn't mean correct. In practice cutting out ads probably makes you a more valuable customer because you've spent 10x the time most people spend look

"Simple" doesn't mean correct. In practice cutting out ads probably makes you a more valuable customer because you've spent 10x the time most people spend looking at ads inspecting them while cutting. (and don't give any BS about "oh I actively avoid brands that advertise" -- brand advertising works, deal with it) The better analogy is, you cut out the ads, reprint the paper, and redistribute it to other customers. In the real world, this is not going to be legal.

howeyc 11y ago
I don't see where you're getting the "reprint the paper, and redistribute it to other customers" based on how ad blocking works. Ad block is at an individual level, there is no redistribution.
afandian 11y ago
There's no redistribution. Why does your analogy include redistribution? There's no need for an analogy anyway. It's equivalent of receiving a free magazine and the user putting it through an automatic ad-censoring machine before reading it.
luso_brazilian 11y ago
An even more apt analogy would be if a third party made an easy to use glass overlay that, when placed over a magazine page, obscured all the ads leaving only the content visible. Considering that is applied voluntarily and "client side" and no redistribution takes place I'm not sure that would be illegal considering current laws. Despite of that I believe publishing companies would be lobbying for laws to curb that practice as soon as it achieved critical mass and high enough adoption.
- Lawtonfogle 11y ago
  All of the analogies given miss some major issues. Visual adds aren't the problem. Audio adds, adds that consume massive bandwidth that is limited, and add that track are all the problem. Normal visual adds can sometimes be nice, letting me know about products that I didn't previous know about that I might actually want to buy. But being tracked? Nope. Blocked!
danr4 11y ago
As stated in another comment, cutting them out can be an hypothetical ad cutting machine I 3D printed. The implementation detail of how i'm cutting out the ads is beside the point. The point is that I can offer my ad cutting services for free to anyone. I can tell all my friends - "Hey guys i'll come to your house and cut the ads out of the free magazines you're already receiving" Which is definitely not the same as "Hey guys I've received this magazine, and I cut the ads, here's the PDF" The reprint and redistribution parts are non-existent in ad blockers. the content is not hosted on adblockersite.com.

howeyc 11y ago

I don't see where you're getting the "reprint the paper, and redistribute it to other customers" based on how ad blocking works. Ad block is at an individual level, there is no redistribution.

afandian 11y ago

There's no redistribution. Why does your analogy include redistribution? There's no need for an analogy anyway. It's equivalent of receiving a free magazine and the user putting it through an automatic ad-censoring machine before reading it.

luso_brazilian 11y ago

An even more apt analogy would be if a third party made an easy to use glass overlay that, when placed over a magazine page, obscured all the ads leaving only the content visible. Considering that is applied voluntarily and "client side" and no redistribution takes place I'm not sure that would be illegal considering current laws. Despite of that I believe publishing companies would be lobbying for laws to curb that practice as soon as it achieved critical mass and high enough adoption.

Lawtonfogle 11y ago
All of the analogies given miss some major issues. Visual adds aren't the problem. Audio adds, adds that consume massive bandwidth that is limited, and add that track are all the problem. Normal visual adds can sometimes be nice, letting me know about products that I didn't previous know about that I might actually want to buy. But being tracked? Nope. Blocked!

danr4 11y ago

As stated in another comment, cutting them out can be an hypothetical ad cutting machine I 3D printed. The implementation detail of how i'm cutting out the ads is beside the point. The point is that I can offer my ad cutting services for free to anyone. I can tell all my friends - "Hey guys i'll come to your house and cut the ads out of the free magazines you're already receiving" Which is definitely not the same as "Hey guys I've received this magazine, and I cut the ads, here's the PDF" The reprint and redistribution parts are non-existent in ad blockers. the content is not hosted on adblockersite.com.