Intellectual Property Law

This Is Google's Mall - We Just Rent Space In It

By Marty Schwimmer

NY Times: A New Tool From Google Alarms Site:

Retailers and publishers have fought hard to work their way up in the ranking of Google?s search results and refine the search features of their own Web sites to help users once they arrive. Now, Google is taking a greater role in helping users search within particular sites. And some of the same retailers and publishers are not happy about it.

Alan Rimm-Kaufman, an Internet consultant, said Google might be asked at times to turn off a new feature. This month, the company introduced a search-within-search feature that lets users stay on Google to find pages on popular sites like those of The Washington Post, Wikipedia, The New York Times, Wal-Mart and others. The search box appears when someone enters the name of certain Web addresses or company names ? say, ?Best Buy? ? rather than entering a request like ?cellphones.?

Full post as published by Trademark Blog on March 25, 2008 (boomark / email).