Mozilla has raised concerns that Germany may be moving toward making ad blockers illegal after a new court ruling reignited a long-running legal battle.
On July 31, 2025, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice (BGH) partially overturned a previous ruling in a case between media giant Axel Springer and Eyeo, the company behind Adblock Plus. The court sent the case back to the Hamburg appeals court to decide whether ad blockers’ actions—such as removing ads by changing website code—could be considered copyright infringement.
Mozilla’s Senior Counsel Daniel Nazer warned that this case could go far beyond ad blocking. If courts decide that modifying website code is illegal, it could also affect many other browser extensions that people rely on for privacy, accessibility, and security.
For now, ad blockers remain legal in Germany. However, the case creates serious uncertainty, and experts believe the final outcome could take several years. If the courts eventually side with Axel Springer, it could set a precedent that impacts millions of users in Germany and across Europe.
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