I was searching for aquarium-related topics on Google this evening when I happened to notice this notice at the bottom of a results page:
There was a link to this page. Curious, I clicked to read the notice.
In a nutshell, the lawyers for bigalsonline.com are complaining that Google is "infringing" on their copyright by displaying the description, page title, and keywords when searches for various aquarium terms were used.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that search engines were WHY you included keywords, description, etc. metatags on a page. I mean, is there any other purpose for a description tag?
But aside from that, does this not seem like one of the absolute dumbest things (on the part of bigalsonline.com) you've ever read? In other words... you're looking for a new filter for your aquarium. You go to google.com and search for "aquarium filters". You are then presented with dozens of results, many of which are aquarium supply retailers, one of which you will very likely end up clicking on and buying from.
WHY would any right-minded internet retailer intentionally seek to exclude themselves from such a powerful way to connect with potential customers?
Of course, I can't believe that a search engine displaying "Aquarium accessories and supplies for aquariums. We supply over 7,000 accessories for your aquarium, from thermometers and nets to hydrometers and fish tank glass cleaners." or some other descriptive blurb (which, most people would agree, is included on pages specifically FOR search engine use) represents copyright infringement. But apparently Google did not want to be bothered by this little nipping chihuahua, so they simply elected to exclude bigalsonline.com from its search results.
--Mike
There was a link to this page. Curious, I clicked to read the notice.
In a nutshell, the lawyers for bigalsonline.com are complaining that Google is "infringing" on their copyright by displaying the description, page title, and keywords when searches for various aquarium terms were used.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that search engines were WHY you included keywords, description, etc. metatags on a page. I mean, is there any other purpose for a description tag?
But aside from that, does this not seem like one of the absolute dumbest things (on the part of bigalsonline.com) you've ever read? In other words... you're looking for a new filter for your aquarium. You go to google.com and search for "aquarium filters". You are then presented with dozens of results, many of which are aquarium supply retailers, one of which you will very likely end up clicking on and buying from.
WHY would any right-minded internet retailer intentionally seek to exclude themselves from such a powerful way to connect with potential customers?
Of course, I can't believe that a search engine displaying "Aquarium accessories and supplies for aquariums. We supply over 7,000 accessories for your aquarium, from thermometers and nets to hydrometers and fish tank glass cleaners." or some other descriptive blurb (which, most people would agree, is included on pages specifically FOR search engine use) represents copyright infringement. But apparently Google did not want to be bothered by this little nipping chihuahua, so they simply elected to exclude bigalsonline.com from its search results.
--Mike
