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ACCC takes 'deceptive' Google to court
by Mark Schliebs via reed - news.com.au Wednesday, Jul 11 2007, 9:15pm
international / injustice/law / other press

[To Google with biased love:
Industry analysts and IT professionals are extremely familiar with Google’s unfair practices. Google itself advertised the fact that it would toss information freedom and fair play to the wind for a price. The entire free world witnessed Google openly sell its 'integrity' to the communist totalitarian regime of China, proving without doubt that it consciously engages in the most appalling partiality and bias.

We wish the Oz Competition and Consumer Commission all success and we wish Google the justice it deserves.
Cleaves Editorial Committee.]

The Daily Telegraph
July 12, 2007 01:46pm

GOOGLE, the 'world's best search engine' is being taken to court by the Australian competition watchdog, which is alleging the company engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleges Trading Post Australia, Google Ireland, Google Australia and Google Inc. were misleading in the search engine’s “sponsored links” section.

The ACCC said that in 2005, sponsored links titled “Kloster Ford” and “Charlestown Toyota” allegedly appeared on Google, but the links allegedly directed users to the Trading Post website.

Both dealerships compete with the Trading Post.

The ACCC said by publishing the links, Google allegedly engaged in “misleading and deceptive conduct”.

Google also continues to allegedly fail to “adequately distinguish sponsored links from ‘organic’ search results”, according to an ACCC statement.

“The ACCC understands that it is the first regulatory body to seek legal clarification of Google’s conduct from a trade practices perspective,” the statement said.

“This is the first action of its type globally.”

The matter will come before the Federal Court in Sydney on August 21.

© 2007 News Limited

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22061633-5001028,00.html