Google is not liable for defamatory snippets in search results

In a case involving Google and Metropolitan International Schools, David Eady, a High Court judge ruled that Google could not be sued as it was not the publisher of negative comments about Metropolitan.

In many European countries and the USA, search engines are protected from liability for the contents of search results gathered from third-party websites.

This ruling is the first of its kind in Britain and follows many "libel tourism" cases brought by non-British citizens taking advantage of the different laws in this country.

A Google spokesperson told www.out-law.com, "We are pleased with this result, which reinforces the principle that search engines aren't responsible for content that is published on third party websites."

"Justice Eady made clear if someone feels they have been defamed by material on a website then they should address their complaint to the person who actually wrote and published the material, and not a search engine, which simply provides a searchable index of content on the Internet,"

In 2005, Mr Justice Eady also presided over the "libel tourism" case brought against the American Dr Rachel Ehrenfeld for documenting Khalid bin Mahfouzhis' alleged financial support of terrorism in a book called Funding Evil.

As a result of this case, New York State passed a law that offered New Yorkers

"greater protection against libel judgments in countries whose laws are inconsistent with the freedom of speech granted by the United States Constitution."