Delhi, 29 March (H.S): The Delhi High Court has taken notice of a plea filed by Startupwala Private Limited against Google India Private Limited, challenging the conditions in Google's advertising program that restricts advertisers from seeking legal remedies or opting for arbitration within India.

Justice Pratibha M. Singh has ordered Google to respond within two weeks and has directed that advertisements currently not blocked or labelled as 'Eligible (limited)' should not be altered or removed.

The court is examining whether the clause in Google's Advertisement Terms, which mandates arbitration in Santa Clara County, California, USA, effectively denies Indian entities like Startupwala from accessing their legal rights or if arbitration should occur within India. The court's notice also calls for an evaluation of Google's 'Government Documents and Official Services' policy, which was the basis for the disapproval of Startupwala's advertisements.

This order comes with a stipulation that the content of the advertisements remains unchanged until the next hearing as the court recognizes the potential irreparable loss to the petitioner's business.

Hindusthan Samachar/ Indrani Sarkar