To the victor belong the spoils — and the lawsuits. With its $150 billion market cap, Google has become a prime target of the litigious, and we're not just talking about Viacom's billion-dollar YouTube assault. Claiming everything from patent, trademark, and copyright infringement to fraud, dozens of companies have decided that the time is right to cash in by hitting Google with a barrage of lawsuits. Do any have a case? You be the judge.
Perfect 10
Nudes purveyor Perfect 10 realized people could get free thumbnails of its pinups by typing "Perfect 10" into Google. Tiny free porn? That won't stand. So the company went to court. Now a judge is also considering whether Google is liable for linking to pilfered Perfect pics on competing sites.
Universal Tube and Rollform
Less than a month after Google bought YouTube, Universal Tube and Rollform Equipment Corporation suddenly discovered it had grounds for legal action. The complaint: trademark infringement and "nuisance traffic" due to the similarities between utube.com and YouTube.com.
iLor
The same day this Kentucky software firm scored its second patent for "enhanced hyperlinks" (which show multiple options when you roll a cursor over them), it ran off to the courthouse. Good idea: It at least got Google into negotiations.
American Blind & Wallpaper
It seems the competitors of American Blind & Wallpaper purchased the company's trademarked name in Google's AdWords program. Suddenly searches for American Blind & Wallpaper turned up lesser products. The horror! In April, a district court judge ruled Google would face a jury trial for alleged trademark infringement.
Intertainer
Even though it closed up shop five years ago, Intertainer somehow came out of retirement in January to sue Google, Apple, and Napster for infringing on its patent for... wait for it... delivering digital video and music over the Internet. It may seem absurd, but Intertainer got a settlement out of Movielink in March 2006. 1
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