Google sued by advertisers over paid search

Google is on the receiving end of two lawsuits over its paid search scheme.

According to reports, two advertisers have filed separate suits in a California state court, one claiming Google took too much money from them, another that it didn't pay them enough.

CLRB Hanson Industries, an industrial printing company, used the search engine to place its ads alongside certain keywords. Google, the printing company said, exceeded the maximum amount the pair had contractually agreed could be spent on ads by the printer in a single day.

CLRB Hanson Industries is seeking unspecified monetary damages from the search company. The suit states that the printing firm will be unable to set an amount on the damages without taking a look at Google's books.

A Google spokeswoman, however, told silicon.com: "The claims are without merit and we will defend against it vigorously."

An earlier suit, filed by Updated.com, claims Google hasn't paid its share towards advertising revenue the company generated through Google's Adwords scheme - where visitors to Updated.com's website are directed to Google's clients via sponsored links.

Google controls a 47 per cent share of the search market, according to research firm Nielsen NetRatings.