Is Google’s Ranking System Legal?

Information Today, Vol. 23, No. 6, p. 17, June 2006

3 Pages Posted: 10 Jul 2010

Date Written: June 2006

Abstract

I first used an electronic database search engine in 1982. I was a law student and our school had just installed a Lexis terminal (about the size of a desk). I learned about Boolean search commands and selecting search terms to find relevant items that had those terms. For students and those of us in the information industry this is a typical first exposure to search engines.

For the broad spectrum of the population, however, their first exposure to a search engine is trying to find information on the Internet. Internet search engines are designed to be a bit easier than commercial database search engines. Simply enter in a few key terms - no Boolean connectors necessary - and up come the most relevant results. But a recent lawsuit against Google over search results points out that relevance may not be the only factor defining your results.

Keywords: antitrust laws, communications laws, lawsuits, Google, Kinderstart, information industry, search results, Internet search engines, ranking systems, search terms, blocking, Websites, First Amendment, trade secrets

Suggested Citation

Pike, George H., Is Google’s Ranking System Legal? (June 2006). Information Today, Vol. 23, No. 6, p. 17, June 2006, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1636422

George H. Pike (Contact Author)

Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law ( email )

375 E. Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
United States
312-503-0295 (Phone)
312-503-9230 (Fax)

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