Straight from BusinessWeek, there was a case about a click fraud software developer that blantantly walked into the Google office and threatened to release the software uneless they paid him $150,000. Despite all that being taped right in the Google offices, the man walked out without a hitch.
By all appearances, Google faced a difficult dilemma. It could risk divulging information about its approach to click fraud and help make a case against Bradley, who faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, according to a Justice Dept. press release. Or, Google could keep its efforts to detect and quantify click fraud a secret, which could allow Bradley to go unpunished.
Google appears to have taken the latter path, which may have several consequences. Would-be fraudsters still have to guess at how Google sifts out bogus clicks. But allowing an alleged scheme to brazenly conduct click fraud to go unpunished could embolden other fraudsters. In addition, it could undermine the confidence of advertisers, who foot the bill for fraudulent clicks.
Google had to see which outcome had more weight. Either give up trade secrets to the world or put this man away in jail. Google will need to develop new plans on protecting their trade secrets while still being able to fight the legal battle.
