Louis Vuitton wins Google Adwords ruling
Louis Vuitton alleges that Google allowed AdWords
advertisers to purchase Louis Vuitton trademarks in order to serve ads against
them. Users searching for Louis Vuitton products on Google’s French site would
find ads from both Louis Vuitton competitors and from those offering Vuitton
knockoffs. In June 2006 The Paris Court of Appeals agreed with the February 2005
decision by a Paris district court that found Google guilty of trademark
counterfeiting and unfair competition and advertising. The Paris court increased
the Vuitton damages to allocate for the case (€300,000) and other legal expenses
(€75,000).
Google France said that since the case began in 2003, it
has implemented a policy barring Internet advertisers from buying search
listings under trademarks held by others, as well as a ban on advertising for
counterfeit products.