Misleading Ads: ACCC Wins Appeal Against Google 61
theweatherelectric writes "As previously noted on Slashdot, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has been involved in a long-running legal battle with Google. Vijith Vazhayil of Delimiter writes, 'The Full Federal Court of Australia has ruled that Google breached the law by displaying misleading or deceptive advertisements on its search results pages. The decision follows an appeal by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), following an earlier decision in favour of Google. The ACCC had first filed the case in July 2007 in the Federal Court alleging that Google had engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct by publishing eleven advertisements on Google's search results page. The headline of each of the advertisements in question comprised a business name, product name or web address of a competitor's business not sponsored, affiliated or associated with the particular advertiser.'"
This is silly.... but unfortunately that is.... (Score:2, Interesting)
The cost of doing business internationally. Having to deal with each country's "silly" laws. Whatever they are in your field. This is why multi-nationals have TEAMS of teams of lawyers for this crap. Google just got too big too fast and didn't cross all its I(s) and J(s) and dot all of its T(s).... or maybe that was what they did do... BUT, either way... Every country has laws that don't make sense in other nations. IE: Germany- unable to deny holocaust, Thailand- you can't even hint at the King doing anything wrong, etc, etc. In countries like the US only saying things like Invoking violence or mayhem (calling Fire in a theater) [saying you will kill the POTUS or VPOTUS are two notable exceptions... we have a bad track record on that....].... but if you act like a tool and say you don't believe the holocaust we handle it by public ostracism instead of a law. However, it is well within other countries' rights to pass laws we all feel are silly.
So therefore... If AU requires ads to not be bought by competitors, then Google has the choice of not doing business there or following their rules. Q.E.D. Our opinions on the validity of the rules be damned.
Re:How is it illegal (Score:4, Interesting)
When was Google, or search engines in general, ever legally bound to display anything except what ever they wanted to? I'm not saying Google did in fact do what the ACCC claims.. but so what?
Anonymous coward, you decribe google as a search engine. Google is an advertising business. Google earns 98% of it's revenue from advertising. Search is jut their product. It's like saying McDonald's is a hamburger when McDonalds is actually property and fast food franchise business. Because google is an advertising business it is regulated by the laws of the countries it operates in. It's no different to any other business in that regard. And it has properly been found guilty in this instance. We should be protected from advertising businesses trying to mislead us.
Re:How is it illegal (Score:1, Interesting)
I think in this case they got the wrong target. I'd much rather them go after the entity that placed the ad.
That's been the traditional approach taken with radio, television and print advertisements.
No, they got exactly the correct target. Back when this case against Google started they fully allowed the practice. It is very telling that after several countries started investigations and prosecuted, Google disallowed the practice in those countries. Not globally, just where they got shit for it.