Www.nyu.edu/projects/nissenbaum/papers/Grimmelmann_StructureOfSearchEngineLaw.pdf. Yjolt.research.yale.edu/files/gasser-8-YJOLT-201.pdf. Search Engines and Legal Issues. Www.legal500.com/assets/images/stories/firmdevs/2012/search_engine_article.pdf. Google Sued Over Rankings--KinderStart.com v. Google. By Eric Goldman KinderStart.com LLC v. Google, Inc., No. C 06-2057 RS (N.D. Cal. complaint filed March 17, 2006) Google has been sued for downgrading the PageRank of websites in contravention of its stated “objective” policies. As a result, KinderStart, and similarly situated plaintiffs, are trying to form a class action lawsuit to get money from Google for the PageRank downgrades. Free speech violations under the US and California Constitutions. This claim is a loser on its face because Google is not a state actor. While California’s free speech protections are broader than the US Constitution’s, I don’t think California’s protections extend anywhere close enough to cover Google’s actions.
Sherman Act Section 2 (antitrust/monopolization). This is also a loser claim. California Business and Professions Code Sec. 17200 I’m not an expert in this law, but this claim looks less frivolous than the previous two claims. (To be clear, Google is hardly alone. Other Causes of Action * Defamation. Google risks huge fine under new EU data rules-top official. The Gray Areas of Search-Engine Law.
29 January 2008—The law is always playing catch-up with technology. But in the world of search-engine law, say some scholars, the courts have only begun to recognize the existence of a train leaving the station, let alone chase after it. The legal gray zones of Internet search are vast, says James Grimmelmann of New York Law School. But they still can be outlined and defined. In an article in the November 2007 issue of the Iowa Law Review , Grimmelmann writes that four broad areas of law—intellectual property, free speech, antitrust, and the openness of search algorithms—are still very much up for grabs in Internet search.
And the next few years could see rulings, settlements, or legislation that will put some of the key legal cornerstones in place. ”The biggest undefined area is how far fair use extends in copyright,” Grimmelmann says, referring to the doctrine that allows for use of copyrighted materials for the purposes of education, public interest, or parody. Privacy Vs Censorship: Google, Spanish Government Face Off In European Courts. In a test case that could have significant implications for Google throughout Europe the company faced off against the Spanish data protection authority in the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. One could frame the case as “privacy vs. censorship.” From the Spanish government’s point of view its data protection authority is simply vindicating the recently articulated right (of individuals) “to be forgotten” — to have content or data about them removed from the search index upon request.
From Google’s perspective, if the court agrees with Spain, the outcome would be tantamount to granting individuals the right to censor Google. A concise statement of the underlying facts of the case is provided by Reporters without Borders: As Google indicated in its blog post, there are roughly 200 cases like this pending in Spain featuring individuals seeking to have content about them removed from search results.
I was told that a ruling may not come down for several months. This article discussed a test case between. Google's Legal Challenges Will Have a Ripple Effect | Tech Law. By Peter S. VogelE-Commerce Times 04/13/11 5:00 AM PT Google's influence is pervasive, and the outcomes of the many legal actions pending against the company will reverberate in many quarters. Given Google's size and strength, the resolution of these challenges will affect social media, search engines and the entire digital world. Webinar: The New PCI 3.0 Standard Learn the steps to take to get your company ready for PCI DSS 3.0 changes coming January 2015.
Courts and regulators have recently made life more complicated for Google, impacting millions of Google users worldwide. Notwithstanding Google's US$29 billion revenue performance in 2010, new challenges continue to plague the company. Judge Rejects Google's Book Settlement As you may know, Google planned to digitize millions of books. Google Buzz Leads to 20-Year FTC Oversight Privacy Policy On another subject, Google's rollout of Buzz in 2010 was badly received by the user community, but that was the least of its troubles. Court issues new judgment on liability of search engines. The scientific and technical innovations of recent years have had a profound impact on all aspects of society, including the law. The most significant of these is the Internet, which has often rendered existing legal regulations obsolete, presenting situations for which there is no appropriate legal rule or regulation. In August 2010 a judgment was rendered on this topic by the Court of Appeals in Civil Matters, Division D, in relation to the liability of internet search engines regarding the content of third-party websites (for further information please see "Court of appeals issues important judgment on new technologies").
The complaint - which was sustained by the first instance judge - was filed against search engines Google and Yahoo! Argentina by a singer and model who stated that her image (specifically her photograph) and her name had appeared on several websites with sexual, pornographic and other similar content.