"Anti-piracy" legislative changes: fines for advertising on web resources

Since 2025, the so-called "anti-piracy" amendments to the legislationaimed at combating the illegal distribution of content and increasing the transparency of the advertising market. The main idea is to deprive pirate sites of a source of income - advertising funds.

The essence of the changes

From now on:

• Advertisers, agencies and intermediaries are obliged to check which platforms their advertising is placed on.

• It is forbidden to cooperate with web resources that distribute pirated content - movies, music, books, software, TV programs.

• All chain participants are responsibleeven if the client did not explicitly request placement on a pirated site.

Thus, the state effectively blocks the financing of illegal platforms through advertising budgets.

How will pirate sites be identified?

It is planned to create an official list of offending resourceswhich will be updated regularly. If an advertisement is placed on a website from this list, the advertiser or the agency that provided the placement is responsible.

Fines and sanctions

There are penalties for advertising on pirated web resources:

• Financial penalties for advertisers and intermediaries;

• Lawsuits from rights holders;

• Reputational losses for companies associated with pirated content.

The amount of fines will depend on the circumstances of the case, but in the long run it may become a significant deterrent to violations.

What should businesses do?

To avoid fines and reputational risks, advertisers should:

1. Check advertising platforms before launching campaigns.

2. Use "white lists" of authorized resources.

3. Fix in contracts with partners to ban advertising on pirated websites.

4. Involve lawyers to monitor the compliance of campaigns with the new legislation.

Implications for the market

The adoption of these norms is intended:

• 📌 reduction of piracy;

• 📌 support for rights holders and legal media services;

• 📌 formation of a civilized advertising market;

• 📌 Approximation of Ukrainian norms to European standards.

Conclusion.

The "anti-piracy" legislative changes are a step towards cleansing the advertising market from cooperation with illegal resources. For business, they mean new challenges, but also opportunities: cleaner and more transparent communication channels, fewer risks and more trust from consumers.