Google's popular image search service might be in legal jeopardy.
A Los Angeles federal judge ruled Friday that the Internet search engine's image search feature, which displays thumbnail versions of images found on other Web sites, probably infringed a Web pornographer's copyrights.
In a 48-page preliminary ruling, U.S. District Judge A. Howard Matz reluctantly sided with Perfect 10, a Beverly Hills, Calif., adult entertainment publisher, in its copyright claim against the Internet search giant. The judge acknowledged that Google's image search engine provides "enormous public benefit," but because Perfect 10 also sells downloadable thumbnail versions of its nude photos, Google is unlikely to prevail in its fair use claim.
