Four Nigerian villagers took Shell to court, in a landmark case that campaigners said could open the door to more compensation claims against IOCs. The fishermen and farmers, together with the Earth Campaign Group, accuse Shell of polluting land and waterways around their homes in the Niger Delta. Shell has denied responsibility. It was the first time a Dutch-registered company had been sued in a Dutch court for offenses allegedly carried out by a foreign subsidiary. Friends of the Earth said the claim, if successful, could open up a new way for plaintiffs to take on multinationals by suing their parent companies in their home countries.