Balmain Boys Do Cry

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Porn site sues Google

For what? Not enough porn on the internet? No, it's actually for allowing people to look at, well, porn.

LOS ANGELES (AP)—A Web site that sells photos of naked women is suing Google Inc., alleging that the online search engine leader is destroying its business by distributing links and passwords that provide free glimpses of the nude models. Beverly Hills-based Perfect 10 Inc. is seeking unspecified damages from Mountain View-based Google for alleged copyright infringement.

Google displays the images from rogue Web sites operated in foreign countries, according to Perfect 10's lawsuit. The search engine also provides links to password hacking sites that provide ways to gain illegal access to Perfect 10's Web site, the suit alleges.


Apart from being stupid, it does beg the question, can Google, or any other search engine, actually be held responsible for what other people put on their web sites? Could it be taken further, where search engines are held responsible for the views, opinions or language on the sites they scrape? Let's hope this case gets thrown out, and damages awarded against "Perfect 10". Couldn't happen to a nicer company.