Notices placed on suspected infringing websites

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Notices placed on suspected infringing websites

Visitors to websites that are being investigated for copyright infringement in the UK are being presented with police notices instead of adverts

pipcu-ad.jpg

The pop-up notices are being placed by the City of London Police IP Crime Unit (PIPCU). They inform viewers that the website is under investigation, and advise that they leave it.

The initiative is part of Operation Creative and uses technology provided by Project Sunblock.

The notices will be included on sites that have been reported by rights holders and evaluated by PIPCU officers.

In the first instance, the site operator is contacted and invited to operate legally. If it does not, further action may follow.

The UK initiative mirrors that undertaken by the National IP Rights Coordination Center against IP-infringing sites in the US.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

A UKIPO campaign aimed at combating fakes in the pre-loved fashion market and registration of the first Portuguese craft and industrial geographical indication were also among the top talking points
Chris Adams, Managing IP’s research lead, joins us to explain what practitioners need to know ahead of our first rankings release of 2026
Another IP litigator joins Winston & Strawn in Dallas as firm seeks to keep pace with ‘rapid’ growth of Texas market
Anthony O'Malley will replace Andrew Blattman at IPH, which owns several large IP firms across Australia, Asia and Canada
Barry Greenbaum, partner at Olshan Frome Wolosky, explains how in-house teams can update their approach to brand development, and where AI can add value
Christine Chiramel, who joins a full-service law firm after 17 years of working at specialist firms, says she’s excited to explore how corporate commercial issues are blurring into IP
Practitioners say increasing the pecuniary jurisdiction of India’s most popular IP litigation forum to around $2 million would spark unpredictability and make it difficult for SMEs to benefit
The Spain-based firm has appointed an industry veteran to lead the group, which it hopes will strengthen its ability to support clients in ‘disruptive technologies’
Shaina Haria, a final-seat trainee at an international law firm’s UK office, shares how she fell in love with IP and why the area of law has changed the way she views the world
Now in its sixth edition, the IP Case Law Conference was focussed on the notion of ‘growing through change’
Gift this article