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Suing Google Over Pagerank

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the this-can't-be-the-first-time dept.

Yardboy wrote in to tell us about a story from Reuters describing a lawsuit by parental advice company Kinderstart.com against Google for 'charging it unfairly deprived the company of customers by downgrading its search-result ranking without reason or warning.' Kinderssart claims Google is responsible for 'a "cataclysmic" 70 percent fall in its audience -- and a resulting 80 percent decline in revenue.' I guess the courts will now decide: Can google taketh what they giveth?

14 of 427 comments (clear)

  1. Well, they are spammed with traffic now... by NeonRonin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Kinderstart, realizing their website sucks, announces a lawsuit against Google for a detrimental impact to their website traffic. Website activity jumps 3000% on the news, mainly from a nerd news site reporting the lawsuit. Slashdot is credited with a 120% increase in revenue for nerds that now know how to raise their kids.

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    -- NeonRonin
    1. Re:Well, they are spammed with traffic now... by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Funny

      ... and Kinderstart sues slashdot a week later ...

      "We have a right to know how stories get to the front page on slashdot. Why aren't we getting the benefit of dupe stories like everyone else?

      In retaliation, slashdot "mis-links" a "story" mis-titled "SCO Files for Bankruptcy" to Kinderstart and Kinderstarts' resultant server bandwidth overcharges put them out of business.

    2. Re:Well, they are spammed with traffic now... by Pizaz · · Score: 5, Funny

      SAN FRANCISCO, March 21 (Reuters Future News Service) - A parental advice Internet site Kinderstart.com has sued Open Source Technolgoy Group (OSTG) owners of the popular internet news site Slashdot.org, charging it unfairly deprived the company of customers by not perptually running stories about it. An attorney at the law firm of Slippe, Falle & Sioux whom are representing Kinderstart.com commented that "It's unfair to give that kind of free publicity one day, and then take it away the next. Frankly, any company with that much power make's me salivate."

    3. Re:Well, they are spammed with traffic now... by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 2, Funny
      If I hadn't gone there from slashdot, I would have quickly hit the back button for fear of spyware.

      Slashdot as a garantor of website safety? Wow, this is a new one!

      So when Slashdot links to you-know-where, you won't quickly hit the back button for fear of irreparable eye damage, because, well, it was linked from Slashdot?

  2. it's... by davids_xls · · Score: 2, Funny

    those pigeons, sue them!!!

  3. Merely a First Measure by hunterx11 · · Score: 5, Funny

    If this lawsuit fails, they plan to sue everyone who isn't one of their customers for depriving them of revenue.

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    English is easier said than done.
  4. In other news... by babbling · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm suing Kinderstart for not linking to me.

  5. Google should help them out... by IamGarageGuy+2 · · Score: 2, Funny

    The way I see it, Google has not held up their end of this mysterious aggreement between the two parties. I think the two companies should just part ways. They are to have no associations with each other that would facillitate other disaggreements. To this end, Kinderstart should not have any links or mention of Google on their site and vice-versa.

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    Stay tuned for new sig...
  6. And in further news... by dpbsmith · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yale is suing U. S. News and World Report for unfairly depriving the university of applicants by downgrading its overall ranking to #3, having formerly ranked it as tied with Harvard for #1, without reason or warning...

    Pluto is suing the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City for depriving it of attention by school children by downgrading its status from "planet" to "biggest object in the Kuiper belt," without reason or warning...

    and Texas is suing Alaska for unfairly depriving it of bragging rights by downgrading its rank among states listed by area, without reason or warning.

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    "How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!

  7. Re:fp by 1shoonya0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    It is ironic and funny to think that this news is getting kinderstart.com slashdotted right now.

    --
    I doubt, therefore I might be.
  8. In Other News... by siwelwerd · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm suing the moderators for depriving me of my right to free speech by not modding this comment up, without reason or warning!

  9. Mod Me Up! by Comatose51 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Didn't RTFA, and this is probably redundant and trolling, but you best mod me up or I'll sue!

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    EvilCON - Made Famous by /.
  10. Re:fp by Pieroxy · · Score: 2, Funny

    It now appears that if you go to a resturant and get bad food and bad service and write that in a review of that resturant then the resturant can sue you for giving them a bad "rank"

    That has always been true. You can sue anyone for anything.

    Now, if they win, on the other hand...

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    Krazy Kat

    --
    Write boring code, not shiny code!
  11. Re:They seem to have articles too by jallen02 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Apple essentially ripped the content of the beige boxes and stuffed it into a Mac.. so what is the difference? ;-)