Google to pay couple one dollar for trespassing

December 03, 2010 | 10:13

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Google has agreed to pay a Pennsylvania couple one dollar for trespassing on their property while taking photographs for its "Street View" online mapping service.

Aaron and Christine Boring sued the internet giant in 2008, seeking damages and an acknowledgement that a Google Street View car ignored a "Private Road No Trespassing" sign to take pictures of their Franklin Park home.

Google admitted to trespassing and agreed to pay nominal damages of one dollar to the Borings in a consent judgment approved by US magistrate judge Cathy Bissoon on Thursday.

"That is one sweet dollar of vindication," the Borings said in a statement released by their attorney, Gregg Zegarelli.

"Google could have just sent us an apology letter in the very beginning, but chose to try to prove they had a legal right to be on our land," they said. "We are glad they finally gave up."

Street View, available in around 20 countries, allows users to "walk" through towns and cities using photos taken by specially-equipped vehicles.

It has sparked a number of privacy concerns, however, and Google said in October that nearly a quarter of a million Germans had asked the company to blur out images of their houses.

AFP

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