Search King, Inc. v. Google Technology, Inc.

2003 WL 21464568 (2003)

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Search King, Inc. v. Google Technology, Inc.

United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
2003 WL 21464568 (2003)

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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