They're not in a position to "negotiate" with Google, and Google doesn't "negotiate."
I would get pretty frustrated and angry in that situation, and given that Rapgenius' founders seem to be pretty immature, they are probably extremely angry. So...
I wonder if there is a "nuclear option" for Rapgenius they can threaten Google with. What could they do that would create so much damage that it would force Google to move (possibly at expense of Rapgenius' business)?
Throw their entire capital into a probably fruitless lawsuit? Create fake sites and spend all the money on SEO, then litter Google's search results (but not Bing's) with obscenities? Hire old fashioned thugs to clean up the Googleplex? Get together with other disgruntled people and start a dirt campaign?
(I guess I have an unhealthy fascination for evil (rap-)genius schemes...)
Suing Google for libel because Google misrepresents them as a dead company through purposely hiding them from customers who search for them on Google?
It's a reasonable conclusion for searchers to make that RapGenius doesn't exist anymore because they doesn't exist on Google, just like it's reasonable to assume that businesses removed from the Yellow Pages doesn't exist anymore.
Suing Google for libel because Google misrepresents them as a dead company through purposely hiding them from customers who search for them on Google?
People who search for RapGenius on Google will find plenty of information that indicates that they are a live company, so that would be ludicrous on its face.
With Google sitting on billions in cash, I don't see how any frivolous lawsuit that RapGenius could afford to pursue without committing suicide would force them to move.
It's a reasonable conclusion for searchers to make that RapGenius doesn't exist anymore because they doesn't exist on Google
They do exist on Google. If you search for them, there is plenty of information about them.
Sure, you won't get a direct link to their site, but there is plenty of evidence that they exist that Google provides, including explanations of why the direct link doesn't appear. (E.g., for me right now, the first result if I search for "Rap Genius" is a news result with a time of "3 hours ago" titled "Google punishes Rap Genius for manipulative SEO tactics".
I don't think that anyone would reasonably conclude from that the RapGenius doesn't exist any more.
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I would get pretty frustrated and angry in that situation, and given that Rapgenius' founders seem to be pretty immature, they are probably extremely angry. So...
I wonder if there is a "nuclear option" for Rapgenius they can threaten Google with. What could they do that would create so much damage that it would force Google to move (possibly at expense of Rapgenius' business)?
Throw their entire capital into a probably fruitless lawsuit? Create fake sites and spend all the money on SEO, then litter Google's search results (but not Bing's) with obscenities? Hire old fashioned thugs to clean up the Googleplex? Get together with other disgruntled people and start a dirt campaign?
(I guess I have an unhealthy fascination for evil (rap-)genius schemes...)
Clearly they should join forces with those anti-gentrification protesters that keep smashing the Google bus windows.
Suing Google for libel because Google misrepresents them as a dead company through purposely hiding them from customers who search for them on Google?
It's a reasonable conclusion for searchers to make that RapGenius doesn't exist anymore because they doesn't exist on Google, just like it's reasonable to assume that businesses removed from the Yellow Pages doesn't exist anymore.
Indeed, it appears multiple users thought RG was no more:
https://twitter.com/ReesesPiece94/status/415939402422947840
https://twitter.com/Mattious_/status/415913576507772928
https://twitter.com/Pouss_Mouss/status/415913988556201984
People who search for RapGenius on Google will find plenty of information that indicates that they are a live company, so that would be ludicrous on its face.
With Google sitting on billions in cash, I don't see how any frivolous lawsuit that RapGenius could afford to pursue without committing suicide would force them to move.
They do exist on Google. If you search for them, there is plenty of information about them.
Sure, you won't get a direct link to their site, but there is plenty of evidence that they exist that Google provides, including explanations of why the direct link doesn't appear. (E.g., for me right now, the first result if I search for "Rap Genius" is a news result with a time of "3 hours ago" titled "Google punishes Rap Genius for manipulative SEO tactics".
I don't think that anyone would reasonably conclude from that the RapGenius doesn't exist any more.
Haha, I don't think you know what libel is.