Google Asks Booble To Cease And Desist

cosmodemonic writes "The folks at Search Engine Journal have the low-down on a cease and desist order that Google has sent to the porn search engine/Google parody Booble. It seems that, although Booble is claiming to be a parody (which is protected under law), Google is flexing its muscle because of the marketability of the parody." Search Engine Journal makes the reasonable suggestion: "Recent rulings may favor Google in the case, since Booble may be trying to profit from the marketability of the parody."

Can't Beat 'em, don't wanna buy them...

[Bandman]

I hope Google adds this to their search features. Who wouldn't want to harness the power of Google for searching pr0n?

If this is the law now...

[Karl Cocknozzle]

Recent rulings may favor Google in the case, since Booble may be trying to profit from the marketability of the parody.

...Then we'll have to give "Weird Al" Yankovic the electric chair.

Shame, I liked Even Worse a lot when I was a boy...

Re:Can't Beat 'em, don't wanna buy them...

[bryhhh]

You've not used the image search with safesearch switched off then?

Bummer.

[inode_buddha]

Pun intended. See topic.

I'm feeling Lucky

[bryhhh]

Why is there no 'I'm feeling Horny' button.

No permanent slashdot link?

[Anonymous Coward]

A search engine, like google, but that finds porn? Why is there no permanent link to this from the slashdot main page?

heh

[Mr_Silver]

I liked the comment at the bottom of the Booble page:

Booble.com is not affiliated with any other search engines (for starters, we have a

sense of humor [booble.com]).

New user to booble

[microsoftisass]

Thanks slashdot for introducing me to booble!!! P0rn is the backbone of the internet, glad someone create a easy and funny way to search out my fetishes..

Re:I hope they lose

[lewp]

You hate porn?

Step away from the computer...

Re:I'm feeling Lucky

[Anonymous Coward]

No, you just need to change it to read, "I want to get lucky"

Re:Bummer.

[Anonymous Coward]

yes... bumher

Ooooh, NO! Google just became big/fat enough...

[fraxinus-tree]

to became also stupid. Even making money, booble adds a brick to google's institution, and doesn't hurt google's busines. Pity.

Dear Google

[Anonymous Coward]

Please don't shut down the dedicated porn search engine Booble, I ONLY JUST FOUND OUT IT EXISTED!!

If this is about your own, you know, "inadequacies", you don't need to worry, I'll still love you, but you need to understand, I really like porn! :(

I think they're on solid ground here.

[pleasetryanotherchoi]

...the marketability of the parody

IWTKAL, but I think Booble is on pretty solid ground here. This is clearly, clearly a parody site (in fact, it's pretty bad parody if you ask me) and nowhere near functional.

I mean geez, a porn search engine that doesn't return any hits for "Jenna Haze," "Cherry Rain," or "Belladonna" is a long way from "marketable."

We put the Spring in Springfield

[irokie]

To shut it down sure would be twisted
We just learned this place existed...

The Simpsons has an answer for everything

Re:Can't Beat 'em, don't wanna buy them...

[Anonymous Coward]

Thank you. Both sites immediately slashdotted.

Re:Can't Beat 'em, don't wanna buy them...

[MacroRex]

I'd much rather have them integrate Cthuugle [cthuugle.com]. Pr0n is so much easier to find than the ancient secrets of Elder Gods.

Re:Good riddance anyway

[Anonymous Coward]

(Uh, hope my supervisor doesn't read slashdot too much...)

Why?

Afraid he might get ideas?

Re:Come on now...

[adubey]

I don't think this patents and copyrights are a big issue in this case.

Many poor countries simply ignore patents and copyrights. Why? Their economies are usually heavy on agriculture, natural resources or low-tech manufacturing, and not so much in knowledge industries. There simply isn't enough supply to warrant having the laws, and in many countries the demand is low enough that it is simply not worthwhile for first world firms to push the issue too hard.

There is one important caveat to this: sometimes demand for some patented product does skyrocket for whatever reason. One case in point is with AIDS drugs: there is an AIDS epidemic right now in Africa. Don't underestimate how bad it is: the word epidemic is so over used, I don't think it properly describes how widespread AIDS is in some countries. The first world manufacturers only wanted to sell at ridiculously high prices, considering how poor these countries are. Their insistance became moot when an Indian drug manufacturer agreed to sell AIDS drugs closer to the actual cost of manufacturing. The first world firms have since softened their position.

The situation may change as poor countries develop, but then it will probably happen only because they will have a domestic industry to protect (think India in 20 years).

They're just sore 'cause

[Anne_Nonymous]

they didn't think of it first.

Re:I hope they lose

[Anonymous Coward]

Of course, all anal retentative fundies do. Notice how he passive aggressively pushes he beliefs by prefacing his statement with "As much as I hate porn" even though he should be smart enough to realize no one gives a damn what a fundie thinks.

Re:If this is the law now...

[mav[LAG]]

My favourite Weird Al quote of all time (from here [laughbreak.com]):

Q: Hey Al!!!!! What do u think about Napster? I just want to know if you approve.

A: I have very mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I'm concerned that the rampant downloading of my copyright-protected material over the Internet is severely eating into my album sales and having a decidedly adverse effect on my career. On the other hand, I can get all the Metallica songs I want for FREE! WOW!!!!!

Re:Good riddance anyway

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree. I did a search on Booble for Natalie Portman and hot grits and got no results.

Re:Whatever you do

[Anonymous Coward]

> Ecchhh... I'm going to go shower now.

Hermaphoride pr0n followed by shower...

Cold water, eh?

Re:Good riddance anyway

[Anonymous Coward]

Miconi! In my office! NOW!

Re:No permanent slashdot link?

[FattMattP]

Why is there no permanent link to this from the slashdot main page?

Maybe yhey'll change the OSDN Personals link to go there in the next update.

is it really a search engine

[rawshark]

I typed several of the leading search terms (you know what they are, and you know they're all pr0n related) and they all return 0 hits.

However, the "I am feeling lucky" button changes. Sometimes it says "I am feeling lucky", sometimes it says "I am feeling playful", and sometimes it says "I am feeling nostalgic". Each of these buttons takes you to a different adult site.

So, booble is more of a portal than a search engine.

Now, we know that we can have software called "Firebird" and "Thunderbird" without the car industry dropping engine blocks on us. However, I think "portal" and "search engine" are close enough, in the eyes of the courts and lawyers, for this to be trademark infringement (after all, they thought the Phoenix browser infringed on Phoenix BIOS!)

Re:Booble Replies

[poot_rootbeer]

the domain names are entirely different

If by "entirely different" they mean "80% identical", then I guess they have a point...

?oo?le.com

Google, say it isn't so!

[JofCoRe]

Argh, google has so far been one of those "good" and "nice" companies...

Is someone _really_ going to mistake the booble site for google? C'mon, it's pretty obvious that it's not google. I guess they're pissed that booble knocked off the look of the google page or something. But then they should just have booble chagne it so it's obviously different. Taking down the site name is just too much... I've always though booble was kinda funny :)

I guess google is just trying to protect their trademark or something, but really... is it that confusing?

I guess nobody's told Yahoo about yourmom.com yet... that site is organize pretty much like yahoo.com... they even mimic the logo. Hmmm, hope yahoo doesn't read slashdot, cuz I may have just alerted them... dammit!