Interesting…first, what does Brave browser do?
“The browser's revenue model, Eich explained nearly three months ago, was based on ad blocking. Brave will scrub websites of most of their ads and all tracking, then replace those now-empty slots with ads it sells. Seventy percent of the revenue from Brave's ad sales would be shared with publishers (55%) and users (15%). The latter will be able to turn that money -- in Bitcoin form -- over to their favorite sites or keep it. Brave will retain 15%, with the remaining 15% going to advertising partners.” – Computerworld
The publishers…representing more than 1,700 newspapers here in the USA say that is indistinguishable from theft, and in the cease-and-desist letter, promised to take legal action if Brave persisted:
"Your plan to use our content to sell your advertising is indistinguishable from a plan to steal our content to publish on your own website [emphasis in original]," lawyers for 17 publishers wrote in a letter to Brave Software's founder and CEO, Brendan Eich. – ibid
Eich also stated that browsers do not republish anything…and that’s true.
"If it were the case that Brave's browsers perform 'republication,' then so too does Safari's Reader mode, and the same goes for any ad-blocker-equipped browser, or the Links text-only browser, or screen readers for the visually impaired," the company said. "We sympathize with publishers concerned about the damage that pure ad blockers do to their ability to pay their bills via advertising revenue. However, this problem long pre-dates Brave." – Eich
The problem centers around revenue, advertising revenue and ad blocking. Many sites refuse you access if you’re using ad blockers. Eich’s browser may well find itself blocked as well. He states his browser will save the web…for a fee. He says you’ll get a cut. But you’ll pay more for goods and services, because of it and because he’ll tell the advertisers that he’s making sure their ads remain malware free. That’s exactly what any corporation with stockholders does, namely providing goods/services for a fee and calls it “dividends”. Stockholders get the dividends but pay more for the goods/services as a result.
Anyway, I think it’s an interesting issue.
Your thoughts?
Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/article/3054032/web-browsers/us-newspapers-threaten-to-sue-brave-browser-maker-over-ad-blocking-scheme.html