Nielsen-NetRatings Search Engine Loyalty Study

Nielsen-NetRatings released its latest study showing that searchers use multiple search engines. For example, the study says “58 percent of Google searchers also visited at least one of the other top two search engines, MSN Search and Yahoo! Search… Nearly…

Good GQ Article on Google

Long but insightful article on Google by John Heilemann. I’ve blogged more about it at my personal blog.

Associated Press on Spam Filters

Associated Press article about IAP spam filters, specifically going after Verizon’s policies. There’s not really much new in this article, but it does give me a chance to make a few points about spam filters: * any type of filtering…

Dealer Management Systems v. Design Automotive Group

Dealer Management Systems v. Design Automotive Group, Ill. Ct. App. Jan. 2005. Vendor sells $20k of software and $15k of services using an unsigned purchase order. Customer doesn’t pay. Vendor sues. Customer defends claiming Statute of Frauds. Court concludes that…

Another Follow-up on Microsoft Antispyware Misclassification

Another article on Microsoft’s antispyware tool blocking access to a Dutch search engine. See earlier posts #1 and #2.

Search Engine “Impression Spam”

Click fraud has been well-discussed among SEMs/SEOs, but Rob McGann runs a good article in ClickZ calling attention to “impression spam.” This occurs because Google considers click-through rate in its sorting algorithm for paid ads. If an ad gets a…

Block v. eBay

Block v. eBay, #105CV035930 (Cal. Superior Ct. filed Feb. 17, 2005). Important new class action lawsuit against eBay. Internet News and Reuters have focused on the claim that eBay acts as a shill bidder by exhorting high bidders to up…

Penenberg on WSJ and Search Engines

Adam Penenberg argues that the Wall Street Journal eventually will become irrelevant because its subscription model (1) makes its content invisible to the search engines, and (2) prevents bloggers from linking to it. I think he’s right. Our assessments of…

Fracas over iDownload C&D Letters

iDownload has been sending C&D letters to people who have characterized iSearch software as “malware” or “spyware.” See postings at Spyware Warrior and CastleCops. I’ve blogged on the misclassification problem before, and I remain deeply troubled that valuable software functionality…

Search Engine Strategies Session on Legal Issues

Grant Crowell summarizes the Search Engine Strategies panel on legal issues, including some rather inoffensive quotes from me. I had a lot more outrageous things to say on the trademark topic, but they didn’t appear to make the cut.