European Court Rules For Google In Trademark Case
The European Union's highest court ruled Tuesday that Google is not infringing trademarks by allowing advertisers to bid for keywords corresponding to their competitors' trademarks.
"Google has not infringed trademark law by allowing advertisers to purchase keywords corresponding to their competitors' trade marks," the European Court of Justice said in a statement. However, it also warned that advertisers "cannot, by using such keywords, arrange for Google to display ads which do not allow Internet users easily to establish from which undertaking the goods or services covered by the ad in question originate."
The case stems from a trademark infringement suit filed against Google in France by luxury designer Louis Vuitton. Google brought the case to the EU court after losses in the French court system.
"Some companies want to limit choice for users by extending trademark law to encompass the use of keywords in online advertising," Google Senior Litigation Counsel Harjinder S. Obhi said in a blog post Tuesday. "Today, the court confirmed that Google has not infringed trademark law by allowing advertisers to bid for keywords corresponding to their competitors' trademarks."
Obhi added that the court also said that "European law that protects Internet hosting services applies to Google's AdWords advertising system. This is important because it is a fundamental principle behind the free flow of information over the Internet."
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus