Google's Autolink
Tim Marman, of the Loosely Coupled blawg, asks Are there legal implications of the Google's new AutoLink feature?
The Google Toolbar 3 adds SpellCheck, WordTranslator and AutoLink. AutoLink turns street addresses [embedded in webpages] into links to online maps. Note that Google just added a maps feature.
According to Tim, Autolink could also redirect consumers to your competitor's site: "go to select a book at Barnes & Noble. With AutoLink on, the ISBN becomes a link... to Amazon."
I don't see this as a copyright or trademark legal issue i.e. the search engine advertising trademark legal tussle which is still unresolved, but rather unfair business practice or anti-competitive. Regardless, AutoLink implicates an issue at the basis of many internet complaints - the diversion of traffic to a competitor.
I'll be interested to follow the continuing discussion on this.
see also: AutoLink: Unlicensed Derivative Work?
update: Scoble on Smart Tags
The Google Toolbar 3 adds SpellCheck, WordTranslator and AutoLink. AutoLink turns street addresses [embedded in webpages] into links to online maps. Note that Google just added a maps feature.
According to Tim, Autolink could also redirect consumers to your competitor's site: "go to select a book at Barnes & Noble. With AutoLink on, the ISBN becomes a link... to Amazon."
I don't see this as a copyright or trademark legal issue i.e. the search engine advertising trademark legal tussle which is still unresolved, but rather unfair business practice or anti-competitive. Regardless, AutoLink implicates an issue at the basis of many internet complaints - the diversion of traffic to a competitor.
I'll be interested to follow the continuing discussion on this.
see also: AutoLink: Unlicensed Derivative Work?
update: Scoble on Smart Tags
1 Comments:
"Diversion of traffic" -- the Big Lie of Internet litigation.
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