Arlington, VA – The News/Media Alliance has successfully secured the takedown of notorious paywall bypass website 12ft.io (“12ft Ladder”). The 12ft Ladder website offered illegal circumvention technology that stripped paywalls, allowing users of the technology to access otherwise restricted copyright protected content without paying the required fee. Following the News/Media Alliance’s efforts, the webhost promptly locked 12ft.io on Monday, July 14th.

In order to protect its members’ copyrighted content, the News/Media Alliance will continue to take similar actions against other purveyors of unauthorized paywall bypassing technologies.

Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of the News/Media Alliance, said, “This takedown is a win for publishers and a win for anyone who cares about quality content. Publishers commit significant resources to creating the best and most informative content for consumers, and illegal tools like 12ft.io undermine their ability to financially support that work through subscriptions and ad revenue. Taking down paywall bypassers is an essential part of ensuring we have a healthy and sustainable information ecosystem.”