Thread: Google Sued By Inventor of Vibrating Toilet Seat

Google this week was sued, along with AOL, by Johnny I. Henry, the inventor of a vibrating toilet seat.

Note the use of the indefinite article "a," rather than the definite article "the," to indicate that there might be more than one such device. According to Google Patents, two other inventors received a patent for a vibrating toilet seat of their own in 1990.

Though Google is known for its use of high-tech toilets, this is not a patent claim.

Henry, an African American, claims that search results delivered by Google and AOL defame and slander him.

The search results at issue lead to sites that refer to Henry with a hateful racial epithet. They include that epithet in the snippet of text culled from the sites.

In his pro se filing, Henry claims that he was humiliated and horrified to discover that Google and AOL would allow such sites to be presented.

Original News Item

Sounds like he is all shook up.

I wonder if prior to the lawsuit the inventor contacted the search engines to try and get the offensive material removed.

Do you know if the inventor is also suing the people who actually wrote the offensive material?

Originally Posted by wot

Sounds like he is all shook up.

If not shooked up - at least a lot vibrantly vibrated or as Bond 007 would have said - shanken and stirred but not on the rocks

Hi All,

Can someone enlighten what was the matter / or at least give a link to the article in question. But, then of course you got to see that the gentleman doesn't come around to sue inforum too

Is it something to do with the site that goes boing boing?