rogerd - 3:16 pm on Apr 7, 2005 (gmt 0)

The diversity of viewpoints is interesting - particularly on the issue of the extent of responsibility for Google et al for preventing click fraud.

If we look at other forms of advertising, there's quite a bit of responsibility assigned to the seller of ads to deliver what they are supposed to. Magazines, for example, publish circulation numbers - typically, these are audited by third parties to insure there's no serious hanky-panky. Television networks measure viewership (again the work is done by third parties), and may compensate advertisers when actual viewing is less than expected.

In short, big-time advertisers expect what they are promised, and won't hesitate to fight back if they perceive they are paying for false traffic. I'd expect more and bigger suits in the future if self-policing isn't effective.