Google and the Law - Empirical Approaches to Legal Aspects of Knowledge-Economy Business Models
Series: Information Technology and Law Series

Google’s has proved to be one of the most successful business models in today’s knowledge economy. Its services and applications have become part of our day-to-day life. However, Google has repeatedly been accused of acting outside the law in the development of services such as Adwords, Googlebooks or YouTube. One of the main purposes of this book is to assess whether those accusations are well-founded. But more importantly, this book provides a deeper reflection by asking whether current legal systems are adapted to business models such as that of Google or whether they were conceived for an industrial economy. Do the various lawsuits involving Google show an evolution of the existing legal framework that might favour the flourishing of other knowledge-economy businesses? Or do they simply reflect that Google has gone too far? What lessons can other knowledge-based businesses learn from all the disputes in which Google has been or is involved?

This book is valuable reading for legal practitioners and academics in the field of information technologies and intellectual property law, economists interested in knowledge-economy business models and sociologists interested in internet and social networks.

Dr. Aurelio Lopez-Tarruella is Senior Lecturer in Private International Law at the University of Alicante, Spain.

Specific to this book:

• Covers a highly topical issue as Google is used by millions of people every day
• Analyzes whether accusations against Google are well-founded
• Explores if existing legal systems are adapted to Google's business model or could become an obstacle for this kind of businesses flourishing

This is Volume 22 in the Information Technology and Law (IT&Law) Series