In 2001, Adam Mathes coined the term "Google bombing" and
explained how the ranking of a given site in search results returned by Google
can be influenced: Due to the way that Google's algorithm works, a website will
be ranked higher if the sites that link to that page all use consistent text.
Links & Law has reported about Googlebombing in the past. At the end of last
year the search for "miserable fuilure" brought up the biography of the
president on the White House website, see
Update 12).
This month the first Iranian blogopshere's Google bombing has
been successfull. Thanks to efforts by thousands of Iranian bloggers, the search
for "arabian gulf" resulted in the following search result:
"The
Gulf You Are Looking For Does Not Exist. Try Persian Gulf.
The gulf you are looking for is unavailable. No body of water by that name has
ever existed. The correct name is Persian Gulf, which always has been, and will
always remain, Persian."
The googlebombing was done because of National Geographic's
recently published Eighth Edition Atlas of the World. In the atlas both a
primary name, "Persian Gulf", and an alternative secondary name, (Arabian Gulf),
is used for the body of water situated between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
Iran insists on calling the waters the "Persian Gulf" and banned National
Geographic reporters and sales of the magazine until it corrects the atlas.
National Geographic reacted with a
press release about the issue.
According to the regional court
Munich I (AZ. 7 O
18165/03), the operator of a link catalog, to which unknown third parties
can add links, is not obliged to check for possible illegal content on the
linked to sites. Otherwise the entire business model of such a link catalog
would be in question.
Defendants website contained a
list of links which lead to websites with erotic content. Everyone could add
links without prior examination of the defendant. In spring 2002 an unknown
person added a link, which led to a homepage, on which among other things
ten naked photos of a former Playboy Covergirl could be seen. The playmate
had only given the right of reproduction to the Playboy but not to the
operator of the linked to site. She required the deletion of the link and
payment of damages. The playmate justified her complaint with the fact that
the defendant did not check new links.
Defendant deleted the link, after
he was informed that the operator of the linked to website did not possess
the copyright for the photos published there. The court found that the
defendant did not make himself liable to pay damages, because he was not
obligated to check every new link for possible violations of law. However
there is the obligation for the operator to remove a link after he gains
knowledge.
October 31,
2004: Anbieter von Link-Katalogen haften nicht für fremde Links zu
illegalen Aktfotos, Heise,
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/52770:
"Das Bereithalten eines Katalogs im Internet, in denen Dritte ungeprüft
Hyperlinks zu externen pornografischen Websites eintragen können,
begründet für den Betreiber keine Pflicht zum Schadensersatz, wenn die
fremden Verknüpfungen auf Seiten mit kopierten Nacktbildern führen."
3. Hyperlinks
to websites selling pirate devices illegal in the USA
Comcast of
Illinoi X LLC alleged that Hightech Electronics Inc. operated a website that
included hyperlinks to over 30 other sites that sold cable piracy devices. The
District Court for the Northern District of Illinoi found that the hyperlinks
are violating the DMCA. The court reached this conclusion after noting that
other courts have imposed DMCA liability for linking (e.g. Universal City
Studios v. Reimerdes, Universal Studios v. Reimerdes).
4. Do Hyperlinks cause confusion?
Court says "No!"
The
mere appearence on a website of a hyperlink to another website is not enough to
cause visitors to think the two sites are associated - especially where the
sites advertise different services and one site rebukes the other in its online
commentary, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled
July 29, 2004.
Yahoo, Google and several other major websites and
companies have been hit
with a lawsuit saying they carry online gambling ads in violation of California
law. The lawsuit demands that the companies stop
accepting advertisements based on searches for terms such as "illegal
gambling,"
"Internet gambling" and "California gambling."
August 5, 2004: Mithaftung
für kontext-bezogene Werbung?, intern.de:
"Google, Yahoo und etliche andere Suchmaschinen stehen vor einem neuen
Problem. Eine in Kalifornien eingeleitete Sammelklage behauptet, dass die
Suchhilfen bewusst Werbeaufträge von Glücksspiel-Anbietern annehmen. Doch das
verstößt gegen kalifornisches Recht."
August 3, 2004: Ben, Charny, Major
Web sites hit with suit over gambling ads, News.com:
"Some gambling ads on Google, Yahoo and other major Web sites are
illegal in California, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday."
Links
to websites that sell infringing devices can violate the DMCA
Knight-Mc
Connell v. Cummins, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New
York, S.D.N.Y., 03 Civ. 5035 (NRB),
Decision of July 29, 2004,
Commercial Law - Likelihood of
Confusion
The
mere appearance on a website of a hyperlink to another site will not lead a
webuser to conclude that the owner of the site he is
visiting
is associated with the owner of the linked site. This is particularly true in
this case because defendant’s website advertises
real
estate and web design services, not investment services, and defendant is
continuously disassociating herself from plaintiff by
criticising
her and accusing her of misconduct.
LG München I,
Urteil vom 11.12.2003, Az 7 O 13310/03: Liability Der
Betreiber eines Linkverzeichnisses im Internet, in das Dritte
unkontrolliert Einträge vornehmen können, verletzt seine
Verkehrssicherungspflicht, wenn ein Link zu einer Webseite mit
rechtswidrigem Inhalt weist. Er kann sich nicht darauf berufen, aufgrund
der mehreren Tausend Links die von ihm geschaffene Gefahrenquelle nicht
mehr beherrschen zu können.
Die Haftungsprivilegierungen der §§ 8-11 TDG sind für Links weder direkt
noch analog anwendbar.
LG München I, Urteil
vom
7.10.2004, Az 7 O 18165/03: Liability Die
Veröffentlichung von Nacktfotos eines Playboy-Models ohne dessen
Einwilligung über einen Link in einem durch Werbebanner erzeugten
pornographischen Umfeld verletzt deren Persönlichkeitsrecht.
Einem Internetunternehmen ist es auch außerhalb des Anwendungsbereichs
des TDG nicht zuzumuten, jedes Drittangebot vor der Veröffentlichung auf
mögliche Rechtsverletzungen hin zu untersuchen, das diese Obliegenheit
das gesamte Geschäftsmodell in Frage stellen würde. Eine allgemeine
Internetverkehrssicherungspflicht für das Setzen von Links besteht
nicht. Links zu rechtswidrigen Angeboten sind unverzüglich nach
Kenntniserlangung zu löschen.
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