I don't know if you're being sarcastic, but it is illegal to sell stolen or fake merchandise in the United States. Anyone selling fake Rolexes is committing a crime and could also be sued.
Saying that Google is "selling" stolen content isn't that clear, though. Yes, they're selling ads on search results, but wouldn't they get the same ad revenue regardless of where those links pointed?
It's easier to make the case with AdSense, where Google literally profits directly from stolen content.
it is illegal to sell stolen or fake merchandise in the United States. Anyone selling fake Rolexes is committing a crime and could also be sued
Huh? Now I'm worried. Are you telling me that the Rolex watch I paid $30 for, that I bought from a street vendor near Times Square, might be fake? Oh no, the horror! /sarcasm
I don't think that Rolex is too worried about this. Nobody would mistake a $30 watch for a real Rolex. And, give it credit, my fake Rolex worked for a year or so. It probably just needs a new battery.
Besides, you can't sue a street vendor. They're what's known as "judgement proof".[1]
And as to police action against them, the de Blasio administration seems to have adopted a laissez-faire attitude about all this stuff. If they're willing to allow squeegee men to operate with impunity, they certainly won't care about novelty watches being peddled.
Saying that Google is "selling" stolen content isn't that clear, though. Yes, they're selling ads on search results, but wouldn't they get the same ad revenue regardless of where those links pointed?
It's easier to make the case with AdSense, where Google literally profits directly from stolen content.