Adult site sues Google for infringement

updated 5:51 p.m. ET Nov. 22, 2004

LOS ANGELES - A Web site that sells photos of naked women is suing Google Inc., alleging that the online search engine leader is destroying its business by distributing links and passwords that provide free glimpses of the nude models.

Beverly Hills-based Perfect 10 Inc. is seeking unspecified damages from Mountain View-based Google for alleged copyright infringement.

Google spokesman Steve Langdon declined to comment Monday, saying the company hadn't seen the suit yet.

The civil complaint, filed late last week in Los Angeles federal court, revolves around some of the graphic imagery found through Google's search engine.

Perfect 10 says Google is providing unauthorized access to thousands of its copyrighted pictures. The company charges a monthly membership fee of $25.50 for its Web site.

Google displays the images from rogue Web sites operated in foreign countries, according to Perfect 10's lawsuit. The search engine also provides links to password hacking sites that provide ways to gain illegal access to Perfect 10's Web site, the suit alleges.

Perfect 10 publisher Norm Zada said he is targeting Google because the company is using the allure of naked women to draw more visitors to its site and generate more advertising revenue.

He said he fears his company, which claims 100,000 unique visitors a month to its Web site, will be driven out of business unless Google is forced to stop distributing the "free peeks."

Google earned $195 million on revenue of $2.16 billion through the first nine months of this year.

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