USA
- Google sued over "fraudulent" AdWords
(Goddard v. Google)
Jenna Goddard claims she was
injured when she provided her cell phone number to an allegedly fraudulent
mobile subscription service website and was charged for unwanted mobile content
services in form of premium text messages. But instead of suing the subscription
service, she went after Google and sued the company. Why? Goddard says that she
performed a Google search for "ringtone" and an ad pointed her to the scammy
ringtone provider.
In its Content policy Google
only allows a ad for a mobile subscription service, if it accurately discloses
a host of higly relevant information to consumers, such as the service's price,
subscription period and cancellation procedures (for details see
http://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=74334). Goddard claims that Google is aware that mobile subscription services frequently do not
disclose these terms, but driven by financial motivations does not live up to
its contractual obligations not to run ads for these companies. "Fortunately for
deceptive mobile subscription services, Google has systematically declined to
live up to its contractual obligations, irrespective of its public
pronouncements to do so, opting instead to line its own pockets through an 'anything
goes' approach to the advertising and sale of mobile content," reads the
complaint.
Goddard
hopes to have the
lawsuit elevated to class status.
Goddard v. Google, Inc., Case
No. 108CV111658 (Cal. Super. Ct. complaint dated April 30, 2008). Google's
notice of removal to federal
court C08 02738 (N.D. Cal. removal notice dated May 30, 2008).