This also includes the digital adverts of any third-party marketing affiliates. The Commission noted that licensees must take all reasonable steps to ensure that “third parties with whom they contract for the provision of any aspect of their business related to the licensed activities do not place digital advertisements on websites providing unauthorised access to copyrighted content.”

The regulator added that licensees must also ensure that “the terms upon which they contract with such third parties enable them, subject to compliance with any dispute resolution provisions, to terminate the third party’s contract promptly if, in the licensee’s reasonable opinion, the third party has been responsible for placing digital advertisements for the licensed activities on such websites.”

The Commission noted that advertising that appears on these websites contributes to their funding, which therefore associates gambling with crime.

The regulator added that while there has been a significant reduction in gambling adverts appearing on copyright infringing websites, many still appear. There is, therefore, a need for operators to introduce additional controls or review their current monitoring methods.

The Commission has not published any particular measures that operators can take, but noted that one such approach would involve access to and proactive use of the Infringing Website List (IWL).

Owned by the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit’s (PIPCU), the online portal contains an updated list of copyright infringing sites.