Google Sued..... again

Paul · 30-06-2005, 18:10

Quote:

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A seller of online marketing tools said on Wednesday it sued Google Inc., charging that the Web search giant has failed to protect users of its advertising program from "click fraud," costing them at least $5 million.
Click Defense Inc. filed its lawsuit, which also seeks class action status, on June 24 in U.S. District Court in San Jose, California.
Click fraud is not "fraud" as defined under the law. Rather, it is an industry term used to describe the deliberate clicking on Web search ads by users with no plans to do business with the advertiser. Rival companies might employ people or machines to do this because the advertiser has to pay the Web search provider for each click.
Users of Google's popular Web search advertising program pay a set amount -- varying from pennies to well over $1 -- for each click, though in rare instances, the payment is as much as $95.
Click fraud can run up thousands of dollars in advertiser costs or benefit a Web site operator that gets a cut of advertising revenue from Internet search providers.
"We believe the suit is without merit and we will defend ourselves against it vigorously," a Google spokesman said.

This is the bit that I found amusing.....

Quote:

Scott Boyenger, chief executive of Colorado-based Click Defense, said in an e-mail that his company's tracking system has detected click fraud rates of as high as 38 percent. The company sells software to prevent click fraud.

punky · 30-06-2005, 18:17

Interesting, our company has a Google AdWords account... Hmmm.

I'd like to know how to can stop it. You can block multiple clicks from the same IP, which Google already does, but with every new IP I can't see how a company can determine between a fradulent click and a genuine one.

Paul · 30-06-2005, 19:20

Maybe the company that sells software to defend against it should tell Google so it can stop it from occuring. I want to know how they can prove that they have had X number of click thrus but have only sold X number of products and that it's all Googles fault??