Flattr acquired by AdBlock Plus parent eyeo for undisclosed sum

Flattr, an extension for online micropayments, has been acquired by eyeo, the parent company of AdBlock Plus. No terms were disclosed.

Flattr, cofounded by Peter Sunde (cofounder of The Pirate Bay), is a browser extension that handles and automates payments to online publishers and creators.

The two companies had previously partnered together last year but now eyeo has acquired 100% of the company.

The pairing of the companies will “create an Internet which is fair to all, sustainable and safe,” according to Sunde.

“Over the past 10 months, we collaborated closely and in fact, became one team with a joint vision. So it was just natural to remove the remaining structural barriers and make it official,” he said.

Flattr’s team will remain based in Malmö. Sunde will continue as advisor with Flattr cofounder Linus Olsson heading up operation and implementation.

“Flattr makes micropayments automatic and effortless, thus it will be the most user-friendly payment solution on the internet,” added eyeo founder Till Faida. “Together, constructive ad blocking and Flattr complete eyeo’s vision of putting users in control of an internet that is fair and still profitable.

“Over the past several months, it became very clear that we needed to go beyond a partnership and truly bring Flattr into the eyeo family. This allows us to go that extra mile and finalize our vision of enabling hundreds of millions of users to choose how they want to pay for the content they consume. This is a game-changer.”

Prior to the acquisition, Flattr raised €1.6 million in seed funding.