Leaked 2012 FTC Document Called Google A Monopoly, Recommended Litigation
An “inadvertently disclosed” report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) labels Google a monopoly and appears to directly contradict the decision not to pursue legal action against the company. In early 2013 the FTC formally decided to close its antitrust investigation against Google…
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Android “Default Search” Class Action Against Google Tossed By Judge
Last week Russian search engine Yandex filed a formal complaint against Google in its home market, arguing that Google was using its control over Android and market power to ensure a privileged position for its apps on Android homescreens and handsets….
The Thorny Dilemma At The Heart Of The “Right To Be Forgotten” Delisting Debate
Both Google and the EU have credible positions on whether RTBF should be applied globally.
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Right To Be Forgotten: Google Tells Europe It Won’t Scrub Global Index
European privacy regulators continue to push for an extension of The Right to Be Forgotten (RTBF) to the entire Google index, globally. However Google for the time being has taken the position that it will not remove RTBF results from Google.com. That …
Google Link Removal Requests Climb To 345 Million In 2014
Torrent Freak study reveals the number of Google’s takedown notices were up 75% from 2013.
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Google “Noticias” On The Homepage Lives On Despite End Of Google News Spain
In the wake of the closure of Google News Spain yesterday “external traffic” had fallen 10 to 15 percent, according to data provided to Mathew Ingram by Chartbeat. However overall traffic at the time of the analysis was relatively stable, suggesting direct navigation. In Germany news…
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Google News Still Available In Spain Despite Closure Deadline
News outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and AP are reporting that Google News España has shut down. However it appears to still be up and available on the site. As Barry Schwartz points out, if you visit news.google.es you’re directed to the following help page. The page offers an…
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Google Faces Potential $19M Privacy Fine In The Netherlands
Google continues to face potential fines for failing to change its privacy policy in Europe. Since the company introduced its “simplified privacy policy” in 2012 it has faced Europe-wide criticism and the threat of fines for violating local data protection laws. Multiple government data…
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Spanish Newspapers Want Government To Force Google To Keep News Open In Spain
A new effort by the Spanish Newspaper Publishers Association (AEDE) to prevent Google from shutting down its News site in Spain is an amazing example of industry chutzpah or hubris. The action shows so much chutzpah in fact that it enters the realm of …
Strict New “Copyright Law” Forces End Of Google News In Spain
Google has decided to shut down Google News in Spain. This drastic step will occur next week and is the result of a recently passed Spanish law that would have compelled Google to pay licensing revenues to Spanish publishers if their content appeared in Google News — even headlines. Some…
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Defamatory Threats To Have Chilling Effect On Link Builders?
Recently, Google reached a settlement with a UK businessman who took it to court over defamatory web content. Columnist Eric Ward discusses the potential ramifications of this legal battle.
The post Defamatory Threats To Have Chilling Effect On Link B…
Oh No They Didn’t: European Parliament Calls For Break Up Of Google
Today many Americans are busy preparing Thanksgiving meals or getting ready to travel to the homes of friends and family to celebrate the holiday. But Google certainly won’t be giving thanks for the European Parliament’s vote in favor of a resolution to “unbundle”…
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Google Settles UK “Defamation” Suit, Agreeing To Remove Malicious Links
Google has long maintained it’s not responsible for third party content in its index. And that’s the law in the US. However increasingly in Europe authorities and individuals are seeking to make Google legally responsible for the content in its search results. The latest example comes…
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Europeans Have Authority To Seek Google Break Up Though Unlikely To Do So
Break Google up. That’s the thrust of a “non-binding” resolution the European Parliament is expected to adopt at some point in the near future, according to a report on Friday from Reuters. The recommendation is likely to be to separate Google’s search engine from the rest…
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Another Court Affirms Google’s First Amendment Control Of Search Results
Europe and the US continue to drift further apart on Google. Even as European parliamentarians and regulators seek ways to restrain Google’s discretion over search results, US courts continue to affirm Google’s right to do whatever it wants with search results — paid and organic….
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Sweden The Latest To Consider Google “Link Tax” For Newspapers
A member of the Swedish parliament, Niclas Malmberg, wants Google to help fund Swedish news publications along the lines of the French model established last year. Threatened with a “link tax,” Google agreed “to create a €60 million Digital Publishing Innovation Fund to help…
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German Publisher Axel Springer: Loss Of Snippets Caused 80 Percent Traffic Drop
Axel Springer, Germany’s largest publisher and the owner of Europe’s largest newspaper, has said it wants back in to snippets. According to Reuters the German publishing giant revealed that traffic to its four largest online properties from Google search results “had fallen by 40…
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Google: We Acted Quickly On RTBF Requests To Avoid Litigation
Although there was little guidance on how to handle “Right To Be Forgotten” (RTBF) requests, Google’s PR Chief in Europe says the company acted quickly to process those requests and remove some URLs out of a fear of being sued. Peter Barron, the head of Google’s European…
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Following Germany’s Lead Spain Passes Misguided “Google Tax” Anti-Piracy Law
Given the saga of Germany’s ill-conceived and poorly implemented “ancillary copyright law” one would have thought that another European government wouldn’t immediately duplicate the mistake. But that’s exactly what’s happened in Spain. Spanish…
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German Publishers To Google: We Want Our Snippets Back
German publishers want their snippets and thumbnails back. A consortium of roughly 200 companies, together known as “VG Media,” have said that the loss of traffic from the disappearance of these elements could cause some of their members “to go bankrupt.” The publishers have been…
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