Q: Is browsing the web a copyright violation?
Strictly speaking - browsing the web creates a copy of copyrighted material. This is a full text copy including all imagery. This is illegal, even if it's for personal use, isn't it?
Related to that - if user has an adblocker installed, is this even more illegal?
A: I am not sure what you mean. Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of copyrighted work, infringing the author's exclusive rights. Browsing a webside does not constitute unauthorized or prohibited use since the author created the website for other to browse. It is like we go to a museum and look at all the copyrighted paintings, or reading a newspaper article. But if you use the content of the website, such as putting them into your own blog, you may be infringing the copyright.
A:
Many web sites will have a set of terms that state exactly what use is allowed. Typically, there is at least an implied license to view a web page that is placed on a publicly available server. There may be restrictions on use beyond mere viewing, such as a prohibition on printing, sending to others, or using the source code for commercial purposes.
Use of images beyond mere rendering in a web browser is often a violation of copyright.
That said, there is no implied requirement that a user download every bit of a web site or even a web page, and certainly not pop-up windows. So there is nothing unlawful about using an adblocker to affect what information is downloaded from the Internet to your personal property.
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