Advertisers get claim notices for Google’s $22.5M settlement over ads on parked domains

The settlement stems from a case that dates back to 2008 about Google ads showing on error pages and parked domains.

The post Advertisers get claim notices for Google’s $22.5M settlement over ads on parked domains appeared first on Search Engine Land.

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What does the Consumer Review Fairness Act mean for consumers and online reviews?

Columnist Sherry Bonelli discusses the impact that newly signed legislation may have on local business owners and review sites.

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Google creates its own antitrust woes with poor communication over search listings

Have an issue with your listings in Google? Getting an official answer might be tough. And when that happens to a Google competitor, as it did with ProtonMail, it could come back to harm Google’s defense from antitrust charges.

The post Google creates…

No, SEO isn’t “search engine manipulation” that Google will ban you for

In a legal statement, Google introduces the term “search engine manipulation” — but think of it as a synonym for spam, not SEO.

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Brand bidding & PPC optimization: enforcement options (Part 6 of 8)

In part 6 of her multi-part series on brand bidding for paid search, columnist Lori Weiman breaks down the legal issues surrounding trademark infringement in paid search ads.

The post Brand bidding & PPC optimization: enforcement options (Part 6 o…

“Let Me Google That For You” Bill Aims To Replace Government Agency With Google Search

Senators Tom Coburn and Claire McCaskill have introduced new legislation aimed at saving taxpayers $66 million a year. What’s their plan? It’s the “Let me Google that for you” Act, and its goal is to replace the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) agency with a…

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Blogger Fined By French Court Because Negative Restaurant Review Was Too Prominent In Google

A French court has ordered a blogger to pay a substantial fine and change the title of a restaurant review because the review was too prominent in search results and harmed business at the restaurant. The review/post has since been removed but can be v…

Looks Like Google Hates “Jersey Boys” Just As Much As The Film “America”

Filmmakers behind “America: Imagine the World Without Her” have accused Google of keeping their movie’s showtimes and locations from appearing in search results. As it turns out, “America” isn’t the only film not getting fair play from the search engine. Based on…

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Canadian Court Orders Google To Remove Sites Worldwide

On the heels of Europe’s “Right to Be Forgotten” ruling, a British Columbia court in Canada has ruled Google must block a group of websites worldwide. The case was opened by industrial networking devices manufacturer Equustek Solutions, Inc. to block a network of websites it…

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Despite Google’s Efforts, Counterfeiters Are Commonplace On AdWords

Should a company that includes the phrase “don’t be evil” in their code of conduct be expected to block counterfeiters from buying ads on their search engine result pages? Is it “evil” to sell AdWords to websites that are filled with copyright infringing photos? These…

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Ripoff Report Is Back In Yahoo Australia’s Search Results, But Not Completely

After what we think was about a week of being de-indexed, the controversial Ripoff Report website is showing up again in search results on Yahoo’s Australian website. But a company spokesperson tells us that some URLs are still blocked. Late Wednesday night (May 21), we noticed that a…

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Google: The European Court Is Really Telling You To Be More “Relevant”

So, it finally happened. After years of people telling me that “Europe” will do nothing about Google and me saying that one day “Europe” will probably bite back, it did. “Europe” bit off a whole chewy chunk of Google and all other search engines in just one…

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Yahoo7 Australia Drops Ripoff Report From Search Results After Defamation Complaints

Yahoo7, the Australian version of Yahoo, has de-indexed Ripoff Report after receiving “significant complaints” about defamatory content showing in its search results. As you see above, a site:ripoffreport.com on Yahoo7 produces no results. A Yahoo7 spokesperson gave us this statement on…

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420 Dilemma? Marijuana Emerges In Local Search

Today marks the first time that April 20th — known amongst pot smokers as “420″ and frequently celebrated with smoking parties — is a legally observable event in the United States (in some places, at least, since the states of Washington and Colorado have legalized…

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EU Settlement Nearly Done, Google Antitrust Drama Shifts To India

Although the Google antitrust settlement in Europe isn’t final it appears we’re in the final minutes of the final act. There still may be a surprise or two in store but we mostly know how this story is going to end. Now it appears the Google antitrust drama is shifting to India, where…

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Will 11th Hour Objections Derail The Google-EU Antitrust Settlement?

When the European Commission recently announced yet another antitrust settlement with Google the matter appeared to be coming to an end. This was the third proposed settlement from Google but indications from EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia suggested that it was essentially final and…

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Google Remarketing Ads Found To Violate Canadian Privacy Law; To Revamp Ad Review System By June

Google has agreed to several concessions after an investigation by Canada’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner found Google in violation of Canada’s privacy rights for the use of sensitive health history in remarketing campaigns. The investigation began last January, when a man…

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EU Wants More Search Concessions, Google Defies French Authority

Round and round she goes. The European Commission is seeking a final round of “concessions” from Google in an 11th hour effort to settle potential antitrust claims against the company. EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia made public statements asserting that Google needs to…

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