German Court Orders Google to Remove Mosley Orgy Images

A German court on Friday ordered Google to block all search results linking to photos of former Fomula One racing chief Max Mosley participating in a Nazi-themed orgy.

The court found that Google is responsible for the images, as a distributor, and that they "violate [Mosley's] private sphere," the court said today, according to Reuters.

"Today's ruling, while about a single person and particular content, sets a disturbing precedent that could require Internet services to monitor every bit of content they transmit or store for their users," a Google spokesman said in a statement. "We believe that this ruling conflicts with European law."

The tech giant said it will appeal the decision, which is the same stance it took in November, when a French court administered the same ruling.

As part of the settlement, Google was required to filter nine images of Mosley from its worldwide search results, and pay him €1 in compensation. Beginning this year, the company will also be fined €1,000 every time a salacious photo of Mosley is found in its search results.

"Contrary to some misleading reports, this ruling isn't about 'Internet censorship,' Mosley's lawyer Irion Rechtsanwälte said in a statement, published by the Wall Street Journal. "It's about illegal images that Google itself is distributing.

But, as the search giant pointed out last year, a filter may not solve Mosley's problem. Pages removed from Google's results remain live on the Internet, available via other means like social network links.

In 2008, Mosley was awarded £60,000 ($96,000) in a successful suit against England's now-defunct News of the World, which published the photos. According to Reuters, the one-time racing chief admitted that he engaged in sadomasochistic acts with five prostitutes, but denied the Nazi theme.