New Press Release: December 6, 2002 - Click Here

Press Release: November 13, 2002

SEARCHKING DOESN' T BUDGE IN LAWSUIT AGAINST GOOGLE

OKLAHOMA CITY SearchKing, Inc., the Oklahoma City Internet company suing
Internet giant Google Technology, announced today that their search rank
has been restored by Google. Now, when Internet users type SearchKing in
the Google search window, the company's web address pops up as the first
result of the search. During the time the suit was filed, SearchKing's
site didn't appear in the first 20 results of the same search.

So why is SearchKing pressing forward with its lawsuit?

"This suit has never been about the priority we were given in a search or
even our PageRank," said Bob Massa, president of SearchKing., Inc. and PR
Ad Network. "The case is about Google's attempt to squelch competition by
targeting businesses and arbitrarily reducing their PageRank or search
status. So they've restored it for now. Next month, what's to stop them
from reducing my ranking again?"

PageRank is a Google-developed system of determining the value of a
particular website. The PageRank of a site, which ranges from one to 10
(10 being the highest), is displayed publicly on each site visited
through the use of the Google tool bar, which can be downloaded to any computer
for free. PageRank value is determined by calculating the number and
importance of web pages (links) pointing to a particular page and how
relevant they are to the topic at hand.

Press Release: 10/18/02

OKLAHOMA CITY INTERNET COMPANY FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST GOOGLE

OKLAHOMA CITY - In a much-too-common case of a big organization monopolizing the marketplace, an Oklahoma City e-news company is taking its battle with Internet-giant Google Technologies, Inc. to the courts.

Bob Massa, president of SearchKing., Inc. and PR Ad Network, filed a lawsuit today against Google on the grounds the organization arbitrarily and purposefully devalued his companies' and his customers' web sites, causing his business to suffer financially. Massa is asking that the court grant preliminary and permanent injunctions against Google Technologies, Inc.

SearchKing began business as an Internet search engine and web hosting company in 1997, approximately a year before Google's inception. In August 2002, PR Ad Network began placing text ads for businesses on web sites with a high PageRank from Google, thereby becoming one of very few competitors to Google's advertising service. According to the lawsuit, once Google became aware of this, it lowered SearchKing's PageRank and the ranking of the web sites it hosts.

PageRank (PR) is a Google-developed system of determining the value of a particular website. The PR of a site, which ranges from one to 10 (10 being the highest), is displayed publicly on each site visited through the use of the Google tool bar, which can be down loaded to any computer for free, PR value is determined several ways, including calculating the number of web pages (links) pointing to a particular page and how relevant they are to the topic at hand.

"From February of 2001 to last month, SearchKing's PageRank was seven" Massa said. "Within 30 days of launching PR Ad Network's services, our PageRank dropped to four"

Due to the high value associated with PR, Massa claims in his lawsuit that the purposeful reduction of SearchKing and its related web sites' rankings has damaged the company's reputation and diminished its value.

SearchKing is one of the pioneers in developing portal and search engine software and services. A portal serves as a directory of web sites of interest to a certain audience (i.e., a directory for small business owners, or a directory of online games and entertainment). The company also offers other services.  PR Ad Network serves as a matchmaker of sorts for companies looking to advertise on web sites that have received a high PR from Google.

"SearchKing and PR Ad Network serve to match advertisers with high quality web sites," Massa explained. "We focus on placing text ads on niche sites and directories that have a high PageRank. This offers advertisers a chance to target their audience more effectively. It also offers the webmaster a way to be fairly compensated for their work. High PageRanks don't come easily. The webmaster had to do a lot of work to get enough people linking to him to give him that ranking. They deserve to be paid for that effort."

"This action by Google clearly demonstrates the free-trade threat that now faces all businesses with an Internet presence," Massa said. "If using the PageRank were a threat to Google, why would they release it to the public? In many ways, our use of PageRank serves only to validate the system."

For more information on SearchKing, visit the company's web site at www.searchking.com. PR Ad Network can be found at www.pradnetwork.com

Read the filed lawsuit by clicking the links below

Summons | Complaint | Motions | Memorandums| Press Release From the CEO