According to a 2005 report issued by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers, a record $9.6 billion was spent on Internet advertising in 2004, but it is estimated that between 20 to 35 percent of these "clicks" are fraudulent. Pay-per-click is quickly becoming a popular means of advertising because of its specific targeting of likely customers based upon their online searches, but it is not without its problems.

Dallas Attorneys Joel Fineberg, Dean Gresham and Stephen Malouf have recently launched the website Lost Clicks (http://www.lostclicks.com) to bring together advertisers and individuals who are concerned about pay-per-click (PPC) fraud. A group of advertisers that believe they have been victimized by PPC fraud have filed a class action lawsuit against Internet companies who sell online ads including Google, Yahoo!, Lycos, AskJeeves, FindWhat.com, America Online, Netscape, Time Warner and more. The plaintiffs claim that the defendants knowingly overcharged advertisers for PPC ads and concealed the overcharges. The plaintiffs in the case are Lane's Gifts and Collectibles and Caufield Investigations who filed the lawsuit in the circuit court of Miller County, Arkansas.

The Dallas/Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Association will be hosting attorney Stephen F. Malouf on June 20, 2005 for a discussion of click fraud, the impending "Lost Clicks" case and the possible implications of click fraud on the search engine marketing community.

Featured Panelist

Stephen Malouf, The Law Offices of Stephen F. Malouf, P.C.

Stephen Malouf has been named one of "The Best Lawyers in Dallas" by D-Magazine, Who's Who in American Litigation, Who's Who in American Law, and is a member and Life-Fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Malouf has published numerous articles and papers on various legal topics including the usage of technology in the courtroom. Texas Trial Lawyer said Malouf "may be the highest of the new breed of high-tech trial lawyers in the country." He has successfully represented clients in litigation against many of the world's largest corporations including De Beers Consolidated Mines, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Ford Motor Company, Nissan Motor Corporation, Mobil Oil Corporation and more.

Question and Answer session to follow panel.

Meeting Details

Seating limited - to reserve your place, please RSVP to 972.831.2124

Date:

Monday, June 20, 2005, 6:30 PM

Cost:

DFWSEM Members: Free

Non-members: $10 at the door

Meeting Place:

Romano's Macaroni Grill in Addison / North Dallas, on Beltline Road between Midway and the Tollway.

4355 Beltline Rd., Dallas, TX 75001

Phone: 972.386.3831

http://www.macaronigrill.com/menu/default.asp?Unit_ID=001.009.0002

About DFWSEM:

The Dallas/Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Organization is dedicated to educating businesses in the Dallas/Fort Worth area about the benefits of search engine marketing. The group meets once a month at various locations throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. To become a registered member of DFWSEM email e-mail protected from spam bots. Individual DFWSEM memberships are $75 for the first year. Corporate memberships are $175 for the first year and include 3 seats to monthly DFWSEM meetings. Additional seats for a Corporate membership are $50/year. All annual memberships receive a link from DFWSEM to your company web site, and a complimentary subscription to Revenue Magazine. MasterCard, Visa, Amex, and checks are accepted. DFWSEM meets the third Monday of every month at various locations around the Metroplex. For more information, visit http://www.dfwsem.org