Google Search and Ads: Lawsuit Magnets
February 19, 2009
The Washington Post reposted a Sarah Lacy TechCrunch article called “The New Bulls-Eye on Google” here. The hook for the article was encapsulated for me in this comment in the article:
Even before he [President Obama] took office, the Justice Department said it would block Google’s proposed ad search deal with Yahoo, citing the company’s more than 70% market share in search advertising. And now, things look worse. Christine A. Varney has been nominated as Obama?s choice to head the Justice Department?s antitrust division. The same Christine A. Varney who several months ago said, ‘For me, Microsoft is so last century. They are not the problem.’ The new threat? Google, a company that Varney said has ‘acquired a monopoly in Internet online advertising.’ Would that Google-DoubleClick deal have slid through under Varney? Doubtful.
In my opinion Google, like Microsoft, will not be treated like the dry cleaning company in Harrod’s Creek. Litigation is going to play an important part in Google’s life. Google has money. The economy is bad. Winning a settlement makes perfect sense if the risks are acceptable. Law is not fair to addled geese. Google is no goose, and it will have its paws full with legal squabbles for the foreseeable future.
Stephen Arnold, February 19, 2009
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One Response to “Google Search and Ads: Lawsuit Magnets”
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Your are right! Google needs money too.