Google has lost a defamation lawsuit in Australia.
An Australian court today ordered Google to pay 200,000 Australian dollars ($208,760) to Milorad Trkulja for showing search results that might have caused users to link him to mobsters. The AFP was first to report on the judgement.
Trkulja, an entertainment promoter, was shot in the back in 2004. After that shooting, Google search results related to his name referenced organized crime. Trkulja's attorney requested the links be removed from Google's search in 2009, saying that they were "grossly defamatory."
In court, a jury agreed with Trkulja, saying that although Google didn't own the links potentially tying Trkulja with organized crime figures, the company was responsible for displaying them. Judge David Beach, who ordered the fine, also agreed with the jury, arguing that Google is the "publisher" of search results, and therefore, should be held liable.
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