NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] FRANCE: Blogger fined over review's Google search placement
FRANCE: Blogger fined over review's Google search placement
(BBC): http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28331598
A French judge has ruled against a blogger because her scathing
restaurant review was too prominent in Google search results. The
judge ordered that the post's title be amended and told the blogger
Caroline Doudet to pay damages [$2000!]. Ms Doudet said the decision
made it a crime to be highly ranked on search engines. The restaurant
owner said the article's prominence was unfairly hurting his business.
Ms Doudet was sued by the owner of Il Giardino restaurant in the
Aquitaine region of southwestern France after she wrote a blogpost
entitled "the place to avoid in Cap-Ferret: Il Giardino". According
to court documents, the review appeared fourth in the results of a
Google search for the restaurant. The judge decided that the blog's
title should be changed, so that the phrase: "the place to avoid" was
less prominent in the results. The judge sitting in Bordeaux also
pointed out that the harm to the restaurant was exacerbated by the
fact that Ms Doudet's fashion and literature blog "Cultur'elle" had
around 3,000 followers, indicating she thought it was a significant
number.
- - -
I hope French readers of this are as humilated and embarrassed as they
should be. "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"...? Looks like Inspector
Clouseau is running the store.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
I am a consultant to Google -- I speak only for myself, not for them.
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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