Google Sued For $3 Billion Over AdSense

Suing for $3 billion is an almost insane act.  Combine it with a corporate name that translates to "The Age of Aquarius," and you’ve got something that should cause a judge to hurt himself laughing.  Yet since everything’s taking place in Russia, it seems possible that a new lawsuit will cause problems for Google.

AdSense is at the center of the suit.  Svetlana Gladkova writes, "The Russian company ‘Era Vodoleya’ . . . claims that they patented the technology involved in contextual advertising a year before Google began using this technology."

It took Era Vodoleya so long to actually do something about the matter because, according to the company, a five-year investigation was conducted.

So the lawsuit, which is indeed supposed to seek damages in the range of $3 billion, is off and running.

The big problem from Google’s point of view: Russia’s the country in which its acquisition of Begun appeared to hit a brick wall.  Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service stopped the deal by citing some incomplete paperwork, but there are rumors that no matter how many trees Google kills, the acquisition will remain stopped due to competition concerns.

Stay tuned and hold tight, then, and if you happen to be a Russian-speaking lawyer, consider sending your resume to Mountain View.