Google has charged Hood for inciting an illegal campaign against Google and serving the interests of Hollywood lobbyist group Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).Hood had issued a subpoena for information about how Google hides ads promoting the sale of illegal as well as prescription drugs on its search engine and through You Tube. The post reports that the lawsuit will block the subpoena.
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood in October 2013 had filed a subpoena against Google. The search engine giant was charged for encouraging online piracy, illegal drug sales and distribution of child pornography via its search engine. The legal proceedings are still on but the case has received a new twist after the leak of internal Sony Pictures emails prompting Google to countersue.
The move by Google to countersue Hood comes bang after recent disclosure, courtesy documents uncovered by the recent Sony hack. The leaks revealed that the movie industry is apparently still fighting to revive the SOPA bill.
The emails leaked by hackers who attacked Sony Pictures last month revealed that Hood was closely working with MPAA to revive the SOPA bill.
Google’s general counsel Kent Walker said: “We are deeply concerned about recent reports that the MPAA led a secret, coordinated campaign to revive the failed SOPA legislation through other means, and helped manufacture legal arguments in connection with an investigation by Mississippi State Attorney General Jim Hood.”
Google demanded that excessively expansive demands by Mississippi in its investigation of online contraband sales be stopped immediately. It also explicitly charged the attorney general of doing Hollywood’s bidding.
The lawsuit was filed today by Google in Federal Court in Jackson. Google based its charges on the hacked Sony Corp. e-mails. It also expressed grave reservation about reports that MPAA was pushing states to pressure the search engine giant.
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