A company has sued Google because it’s unhappy with its ranking. Parent portal KinderStart.com accuses the search giant of unfair trade practices and a lack of objectivity after KinderStart said its Web site stopped being listed in the results as prominently as it had been in the past. Here’s the story from Red Herring.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court in San Jose on Friday, the company said that Google blocked its site, violating the “free flow of speech, traffic, and commerce.” The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, could potentially force Google to reveal its proprietary search logarithims.
A Google spokesperson told Red Herring: “We believe the lawsuit is without merit and we will defend against it vigorously.” . . .
[S]aid a reseach analyst to Red Herring: “The implications of what they’re arguing are really sweeping. It would imply everyone is entitled to their ranking. It’s a piece of property they own. Every time someone’s ranking changes, they can make these types of claims.”