Search King, Inc. v. Google Technology, Inc.
United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
2003 WL 21464568 (2003)
- Written by Wesley Bernhardt , JD
Facts
Google Technology, Inc. (Google) (defendant) displayed search results based on an algorithm called PageRank, whereby web pages would be sorted according to their relevance to a given search query. Neither Google nor individual websites had the ability to control the ordering of search results, which was entirely controlled by PageRank’s algorithm. If PageRank ranked a website higher, that website would become more valuable because more people would click on it. Over the course of a year, a website run by Search King, Inc. (Search King) (plaintiff) had its PageRank rankings lowered. Search King claimed that this was a purposeful, malicious action by Google because Google began to see Search King as a competitor. Search King filed suit, alleging tortious interference with contractual relations. Google filed a motion to dismiss, contending that Search King had failed to state a claim.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Miles-Lagrange, J.)
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