Internet websites and mobile apps that provide access to content, goods or services infringing intellectual property rights (IPR) on a commercial scale often use the sale of advertising space as a key source of revenue.
To better understand the impact, the European Commission sponsored a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on online advertising and IPR. The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) commissioned White Bullet Solutions to carry out the 2025 Ad Monitoring Exercise to assess the impact of the MoU on IPR-infringing websites and apps, estimate ad volumes and revenues, and compare results with analyses from previous years.
Main findings
- 5,671 websites and 337 mobile applications across 18 EU Member States, as well as the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) as control countries, were analysed. Of these, 37% of websites and 57% of apps were classified as illegal, while the remainder were classified as high-risk (verified as infringing but have not (yet) been adjudicated by national authorities).
- The monitored websites generated 12.7 billion ad impressions and the monitored apps 3.4 billion. Most website impressions originated from high-risk sources (58%), while illegal apps accounted for the majority of app impressions (52%). Website ad impressions declined by 20% between Q1 and Q4, indicating changes in traffic and advertising patterns across infringing services.
Web sites far more concerning
The percentage of estimated Ad Impressions for Fraud & Malware was 24.62% on the 2025 Monitored Websites and just 0.28% on the 2025 Monitored Apps. Virtually no Adult advertising was found on the 2025 Monitored Apps, while 5.54% of the estimated Ad Impressions on the 2025 Monitored Websites were for Adult ads. Adult ads on websites are often delivered by affiliate marketing rather than as programmatic ads.
There was a high level of affiliate marketing on pirate websites, which has increased over time. Affiliate marketing was not found on the 2025 Monitored Apps.
Types of advertising overall
Branded advertising accounted for 66% of ad impressions on monitored websites and 96% on monitored apps. Major brand advertising represented 36% of website impressions and 16% of app impressions, increasing substantially compared with 2024. Retail, gambling and media were the dominant sectors on websites, while media overwhelmingly dominated advertising on apps.
- A total of 61,628 advertisers were identified on monitored websites and 7,088 on monitored apps. Major brands represented 8% of website advertisers and 10% of app advertisers, demonstrating the continued exposure of reputable brands within infringing environments.
- Total estimated revenues reached EUR 382 million worldwide for monitored websites and EUR 15 million for monitored apps. Within the 18 monitored EU countries, websites alone generated an estimated EUR 28.5 million in advertising revenue.
Fraud and malware advertising increased significantly on monitored websites, rising from 14% of ad impressions in 2024 to 25% in 2025. This underlines the growing risks faced by both consumers and advertisers when engaging with infringing online services.
Methodology
Between January and November 2025, White Bullet’s Ad Monitoring System collected data on ad volumes, sectors, advertisers and intermediaries through daily visits using local IP addresses.
Building on earlier studies (2019–2021, Q4 2023 and 2024), the 2025 exercise analysed advertising activity across 5,671 websites and 337 mobile applications identified as either illegal or high-risk. The study assessed ad impressions, advertiser profiles, advertising sectors, intermediaries and estimated revenues, providing a comprehensive overview of the role of advertising in financing IPR-infringing websites and apps and of the effectiveness of the framework of a European Commission sponsored Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on online advertising and IPR.
Why it matters
In addition to generating income for IPR infringers, the presence of legitimate brand advertising on such platforms can mislead consumers into believing they are accessing legal content, goods or services.
The continued monetization of infringing content through legitimate advertising highlights persistent weaknesses in the digital advertising ecosystem. The findings suggest that Infringing Watch Lists (IWLs) may have become less effective in limiting the placement of advertising on infringing websites.
Source
Online advertising on IPR-infringing Websites and Apps 2025. Landing page with link to the full report. Published June 23, 2026. European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
