The NDP has published a release criticizing the Google – Verizon net neutrality deal, expressing concern about the side deal. The deal treats wired and wireless services in a different manner, something the CRTC has rejected as part of its traffic management guidelines.
Post Tagged with: "google"
B.C. Court Clicks With Internet Advertising Keyword Case
Google has grown to become the world’s leading Internet company based largely on accurate search results, yet its financial success owes much to tiny advertisements that are posted as sponsored links alongside the "organic" search results. The determination of which sponsored links appear on a Google search result page comes in part from a keyword advertising system in which marketers bid on specific words. Whenever a user clicks on the sponsored link, the marketer pays Google the bid amount. Each click may only cost a few pennies, but with millions of clicks every day, the keyword advertising business is a multi-billion dollar business for Google and has been emulated by competitors such as Yahoo and Microsoft.
Keyword advertising has been a huge commercial success fueling many ad-supported websites, but it has not been without legal controversy. The practice has generated a steady stream of cases addressing whether the use of a competitor's keyword raise potential trademark or misleading advertising issues. For example, is Coca-Cola permitted to bid on the Pepsi keyword so that when an Internet user searches for Pepsi they are presented with a sponsored link for Coke?
The issue has been litigated in other countries, but my weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that late last month a B.C. court provided the Canadian perspective for the first time.
B.C. Court Clicks in Internet Advertising Keyword Case
Appeared in the Toronto Star on June 7, 2010 as Google's Keywords Belong to Top Bidders Google has grown to become the world’s leading Internet company based largely on accurate search results, yet its financial success owes much to tiny advertisements that are posted as sponsored links alongside the "organic" […]
Privacy Takes Step Towards Global Enforcement
My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that last week the talk of the privacy world was news that 10 privacy and data protection commissioners – led by Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart – had released a public letter to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, expressing concern that the Internet giant was forgetting its privacy responsibilities.
The letter, also signed by the heads of privacy agencies from France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom, focused on the recent introduction of Google Buzz, a service that offered new social media capabilities. It attracted the wrath of users and privacy advocates after Google automatically assigned users a network of "followers" from among people with whom they corresponded most often on Gmail. Google quickly altered the offending features, but the damage was clearly done, as privacy commissioners from around the world used the incident as the basis for a shot across the company’s bow.
Privacy Commissioners Warn Google on Privacy Practices
Privacy commissioners from around the world have issued a public letter expressing concern with Google's privacy practices. The letter is specifically focused on the Google Buzz product.
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