Relegated to electronic Siberia by the Google Inc. search rankings, KinderStart.Com Inc. saw its Web traffic plummet and ad revenue evaporate, so it fought back with an antitrust lawsuit challenging Google’s popular ranking system.
The 2006 suit in federal court in San Jose, Calif., has been dismissed once, and some observers say that the new amended version’s antitrust and free speech claims may face an uphill battle to survive. U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel indicated in an Oct. 27 hearing that he may not issue a written ruling until early next year on Google’s motion to toss the case.
