Yelp Accused of Extortion

Yelp Accused of Extortion | Threat Level | Wired.com.  Given the recent problems Google has had with Buzz, and the allegations that Google was not careful enough about users' privacy, Google is probably glad this week that Yelp walked away from buyout talks with Google. Yelp salespeople have allegedly been offering businesses "protection" from negative reviews, by offering subscription plans that will remove or re-order reviews in order to hide negative stuff. The Plaintiffs allege that Yelp salespersons aggressively marketed the service. If true, does this rise to the level of extortion? It certainly sounds similar to a protection racket taken to the Internet. If the allegations are true and proven; a serious blow will be dealt to Yelp, and its review process.

Comments

[Marc Dobin]

How different is this from a Lexis or Westlaw salesperson telling me that, if I pay an exorbitant amount of money, they will place me at the top of the search results? Doesn't this just become a matter of whoever has the most money can manipulate the search result placement?