Judge OKs $90m Google click fraud settlement
- Added:
- Jul 17, 2006
The legal action was originally brought by Lane's Gifts and Collectibles in February of 2005, but has since changed to a group case spanning several advertisers with more than 70 objections.
Google charges advertisers a fee each time a user clicks on an ad that is displayed on the search firm's website.
Click fraud occurs when a company is targeted by an automated programme or a malicious individual, who place a large number of fraudulent clicks on ads, driving fees up.
Google was accused of not doing enough to protect advertisers from this sort of "click fraud" abuse.
Under the terms of the settlement, Google will give advertising credits worth $4.50 for every $1,000 spent on advertising at its website.
In his ruling, Joe Griffin, Miller County Circuit Judge, called the settlement "fair, reasonable and adequate".
Since the first charge, Google has updated security and introduced a new feature that grants advertisers an insight into any "invalid clicks" which have been detected.