In an article called, "Parasite.com", Forbes.com writes about a new web technology called Browster that "works with Internet Explorer and allows you to 'prefetch' Web sites by running your
mouse over page links. The linked sites pop up in a new window,
wrapped in ads that Browster sells." So, basically they
are taking the content created by other publishers and placing
ads on top of it. It sounds very familiar to Gator, which
placed ads on top of the content of web publishers without their
approval. Gator was later sued by The Washington Post, The
New York Times, Dow Jones and seven other publishers.
Gator.com's Companion Pop-up Banner, obscured advertising and/or
editorial content on websites through the use of specially
designed pop-up windows and without the consent of websites or
third party advertisers. The lawsuit was settled out of court, but this
company is still around today and is known as Claria -- News.com has
a recent article on Claria here.
Forbes.com compares Browster to some technology Google
has been tinkering around with. Google's AutoLink technology
inserts links into other publisher's websites. Microsoft was
slammed by web publishers in 2001 when it tried a similar concept
called SmartTags and had to drop the idea. About AutoLink, Forbes.com writes:
Even Google, the Web's self-proclaimed "Do no evil" company, is
experimenting with a technology called AutoLink that inserts
button-shape links on other people's Web sites that lead back to
Google or to Google partners like Amazon.com. Google says it is
still only experimenting with AutoLink but, ominously, adds that
it is exploring ways to increase the technology's scope. If that
happens, predicts New York intellectual property lawyer Jeffrey
Neuburger, "There will be some litigation."
