Google has come out on top in a case filed last year by KinderStart.com, in which the kid-friendly search engine and parental advice site accused Google of “downgrading its search-result ranking without reason or warning.”
The case was dismissed, according to technology law blogger Eric Goldman. KinderStart will also have to pay some of Google’s legal fees, which usually is done when a case lacks merit or is deemed frivolous by a judge.
KinderStart had alleged a host of misdeeds, from free speech violation to unfair competition to defamation. Most of those were easily disproved at the time the case was filed, as Barry Schwartz outlined at the time. Goldman sees the judge’s ruling as a clear victory for Google.