Google won a major sponsored
keyword trademark case in the USA. A New York District Court has dismissed a lawsuit
brought by Rescuecom, a computer repair and
consulting business, that accused Google of trademark infringement by selling
its brand as a search term. The court came to this conclusion, in part, because "there
is no allegation that (Rescuecom's) trademark is displayed in any of the
sponsored links about which (Rescuecom) is concerned."
"There is no allegation that (Google) places (Rescuecom's) trademark on any
goods, containers, displays or advertisements, or that its internal use is
visible to the public," the judge concluded.
See:
The ruling (16-page / 1.7MB PDF)
September 29, 2006: Mills, Elinor,
Judge sides with Google in dispute over keywords, CNet: "A federal court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit against Google over its
practice of allowing companies to buy search-related ads that are displayed when
people type in the name of a competitor."
