So, in order to receive some credit (not cash, mind you, only credit), I have to certify that I have been a victim of click fraud, which is something that only the worst-hit victims will/can do.

Also, Google will not be liable for any more click-fraud lawsuits ever again? Seems like this class-action in Arkansas could have been written by Google themselves!

That said, I agree that click fraud is not something that can go away - there is just too much incentive around (for Google as well as for click fraudsters), and there are no watertight ways to prevent it. One can only expect Google to behave reasonably and keep it down.

After all, one can think of it like this: Say that your ad has a 10% conversion rate. A fraudulent click is one that - for your purpose - has no chance of ever turning into a sale. If 20% of all clicks are fraudulent, that means that of 100 clicks, only 80 are real, so your "real" conversion is 10 out of 80. In other words, eliminating click fraud altogether would push your conversion rate to 12.5%. Does that change your business plan radically?