Google is not responsible for the content of its internet
search results, a UK court has ruled.
Metropolitan International Schools had sued Google and an online
bulletin board for negative comments posted about its business
practices.
But Justice David Eady said Google's search engine is an
automated service and cannot be considered a publisher under
English law, according to
Reuters.
Eady said that Metropolitan International, a long-distance
training company, would have no reasonable prospect of success in
holding Google liable for the comments.
Google had not authorised or caused the comments to appear on a
user's computer screen and had merely played the role of
facilitator, the judge said.
Google said the ruling reinforced the principle that search
engines are not responsible for content that is published on
third-party websites.
In Italy,
Google executives are still facing charges in connection with a
video of a disabled boy being mocked that was posted on Google's
Italian video sharing site in 2006.
Italian prosecutors argue that Google did not have adequate
content filters or enough staff to monitor content, and that the
video was uploaded without the consent of all parties involved.
Google's global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer, chief legal
officer David Drummond, former CFO George Reyes, and a former
Google Video executive face up to 36 months in prison if found
guilty.
In a statement issued ahead of the trial, Google said the case
was "akin to prosecuting mail service employees for hate speech
letters sent in the post."
Google has argued that the case hits at the heart of internet
freedom, saying it will be impossible for providers to check the
thousands of videos that are uploaded to sites like YouTube every
day.
The trial, which has been delayed several times after it began
February is due to resume in September.