Google Goes to Court for Deceptive PPC Ads

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June 5, 2008 |

Google Goes to Court for Deceptive PPC Ads

New Jersey resident Jenna Goddard is suing Google for serving pay-per-click ads that bamboozle searchers into registering for paid subscription services, reports MediaPost.
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The ads in question offer users ringtones and other mobile services on a subscription basis.
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Goddard claims Google violates its mobile content ad policy — which states ads must “clearly and accurately [display] price, subscription, and cancellation information” — by accepting ringtone ads that do not meet those standards.
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By repeatedly neglecting to enforce the policy, Google “intentionally misleads its users” and “[lines] its own pockets through an ‘anything goes’ approach to the advertising and sale of mobile content,” the lawsuit reads.
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The suit was filed in California state court some weeks ago. It is now in federal court. Google said it would “defend vigorously against these claims.”
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Last year Epic Advertising, formerly AzoogleAds, incurred a $1 million fine for running deceptive “Free ringtones!” ads. Shortly after, Florida Attorney General Michael Palecki committed to crack down on other deceptive ad violators.
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