Sgt_Kickaxe - 9:32 pm on Apr 3, 2012 (gmt 0)

- This is brand related, competitors may not write ad text that implies they are associated with the brand.
- This is based on results 5 years ago

In its judgment, the court said between March 2006 and July 2007, Google published search results for queries related to Honda Australia, with results showing paid advertisements for a Honda competitor CarSales. It said the advertisements suggested CarSales was linked to Honda Australia. The court said Google should be responsible for search results and that by publishing the paid advertisements had "engaged in conduct that was misleading or deceptive"

My take - absolutely Google should be responsible for the results they provide as well as the ads they display. "We're just the search engine" does not hold water when it's a publicly traded for profit company with full control over the advertising platform.

Google needs tighter control over the ads they allow online, this ruling confirms that. Google may wish to pass the buck on to publishers by offering filtering options but, imo, the ad platform accepting payment for illegal ads needs to be addressed.