Dot-com mudslinging and retailers jockeying for position were fit to be featured this past week. Let's take a closer look.
It's lonely at the top
Sometimes, you pay the price for having "Don't be evil" as your officially unofficial corporate motto. Of the many companies and groups gunning for Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) these days, the latest is the Authors Guild, accusing Google of "massive copyright infringement" related to its ambitious Google Print project.
It's easy to see why the writers organization would want a say in Google's plan for world domination. Google Print is aiming to scan millions of books to make them searchable online. Google is claiming that it has a legal right to do so as "fair use" and that it will only be reporting on snippets of copyrighted works.
There's a lot at stake for Google, the world's leader in online advertising. There is nothing as lucrative as paid search, when folks are connected and in seek mode. Google can smell the golden opportunity of using literary classics to expand its reach in a field that it already dominates.
Companies like online retailer Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) allow users to perform limited searches of book text, but that has been done with publisher cooperation and the ultimate intent to sell. This issue may prove to be a challenge for Google.
That's the way it's been lately. Everyone cheered Google on when it was the underdog, but now that it's the top dog, allegiances are wavering. From rights to its Gmail moniker to accepting AdWords ads for trademarked keywords, Google's legal challenges keep piling on.
Then again, Google probably wouldn't have it any other way. Being contested every rung of the way up the ladder is a sign of corporate respect. Google may very well come out of this even stronger -- and donning a bigger target -- than before. That's what survivors do. Do you know what "no evil" is backwards? Live on!
You can call this one Better Buy
After Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) posted soft results earlier this month, few expected Circuit City (NYSE:CC) to buck the trend. Best Buy was the market leader. It would dictate the tide, with smaller rivals sometimes going out with the undertow.
Not now. Circuit City came through with powerful results as the consumer electronics chain reversed a year-ago loss and produced same-store comps growth of 5.3% for the quarter.
This doesn't mean that Best Buy is handing over the growth baton. However, it does mean that Circuit City is making headway in its quest to matter. It will be interesting to see if this momentum carries over to the critical holiday shopping season. If Circuit City comes out on top, only then may "Circuit City" and "leader" be worthy of being used in the same sentence.
The headlines behind this week's stories:
Until next week, I remain,
Amazon.com and Best Buy are Motley Fool Stock Advisor picks.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz loves to take a look back, even though he realizes that an investor cannot live off the rearview mirror alone. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story. The Foo l has a disclosure policy. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.
