Google

Google has argued there would be a “devastating” effect on the internet if the High Court upholds a judgment awarded to gangland lawyer George Defteros that found the tech giant liable for linking to an allegedly defamatory article.

The High Court has granted Google special leave to challenge a $40,000 defamation judgment awarded to gangland lawyer George Defteros, with the search giant arguing it should not be held liable for a “mere hyperlink” to an article.

Apple has reached the end of the line in its attempts to move a competition dispute with Fortnite game maker Epic Games to California, with the High Court denying the tech company’s special leave application to appeal a judgment that found there were “strong reasons” for keeping the matter in Australia.

Apple and Google’s legal woes in Australia are set to worsen, with a leading class action firm preparing to file class actions against the Silicon Valley giants for alleged competition and consumer law violations.

Google has hit back at the ACCC’s case accusing it of misleading users about a change to its privacy policy, saying laws against misleading and deceptive conduct do not apply to those who did not read the notification about the change.

A judge said he “gagged” at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s proposed $5 million pecuniary penalty in its case against specialist workplace relations company Employsure over six misleading Google ads.

YouTube comedian Jordan Shanks has apologised to former NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro for hurt caused by videos posted in 2020 and 2021 but won’t be paying any damages as part of a settlement of a high profile defamation case.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is calling for the power to mandate ‘choice screens’ in mobile devices to provide Australian consumers with a wider variety of online search engine options, as part of the regulator’s ongoing efforts to mitigate Google’s search dominance.

Google has urged a court to stay a competition lawsuit brought by Epic Games, saying new evidence showed the Fortnite game maker would not be disadvantaged if the case was heard in California, as the Full Court found it would in a similar challenge by Apple.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says it should be given more power to regulate the $9.5 billion advertising technology sector, after a report revealed Google’s overwhelming dominance could lead to consumers paying more for advertised goods.