Google Click Fraud Case Tests Fairness

"Those who object to the amount of the settlement merely assume that undetected 'click fraud' is pervasive, and that they could prove this at trial," Google stated in a court filing. "But Google contends that class members could never prove such a claim, because Google aggressively roots out click fraud, using highly sophisticated techniques and processes, and minimizes any impact it has on advertisers."

According to research from Click Forensics, approximately 14 percent of all ad clicks were fraudulent in the second quarter.

The most common form of fraud involves taking advantage of the pay-per-click advertising option. The more people click on an ad, the higher the advertising expense. Advertisers pay for the clicks alone, which doesn't necessarily translate into buying the product being sold.

The judge in the case is expected to give his decision by the end of the week.