AA files lawsuit against Google over trademark words
Court Alerts
American Airlines (AA) is suing Google Inc over the Internet firm's sale of keyword ads for rivals trig-gered by its own trademarks.
A Google visitor who enters certain words or phrases that AA trademarked -- for example, Aadvantage, the name of its frequent-flier program -- will get links to AA's Web site but also its rivals under "sponsored links" -- targeted ads that appear alongside the regular search results.
Google makes most of its money from such keyword ads.
AA filed a lawsuit on Thursday in US District Court seeking unspecified damages.
"When done right, search is a great tool, but we have a problem with this part of their business," AA spokesman Billy Sanez said.
Sanez said the results could confuse consumers and divert customers away from AA's own site.
American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp, tried to negotiate a settlement with Google before going to court, Sanez said.
Google spokesman Jon Murchinson said the company is "confident that our trademark policy strikes a proper balance between trademark owners' interests and consumer choice, and that our position has been validated by decisions in previous trademark cases."
Similar lawsuits against Google are fairly common, although they tend to involve smaller companies.
More than two years ago, a federal judge ruled in a similar case filed by insurer Geico Inc, ruling that Google's advertising practices were legal. Geico had said Google was letting rival insurance companies pay to have their ads displayed when a user searched for "Geico."
But the judge left the door open for Geico to collect damages from Google for featuring ads that used Geico's name in the text, rather than just using the trademark to trigger the ad. The two settled in 2005.
Google lost cases in France, but has won others in the US.
Related listings
-
Whole Foods Takeover of Wild Oats on Hold
Court Alerts 08/20/2007A federal appeals court said Monday it needs more time to consider whether to block Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFMI) from buying Wild Oats Markets Inc. (OATS). The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily put the deal on hold until it can...
-
Ex-Con Pleads Guilty in N.H. Killings
Court Alerts 08/17/2007[##_1L|1188478694.jpg|width="120" height="101" alt=""|_##]An ex-convict who authorities say went on a multistate crime spree after leaving prison this spring pleaded guilty Friday to killing three men during a botched robbery last month in Conway. Af...
-
Tocchet gets 2 years probation in gambling case
Court Alerts 08/17/2007[##_1L|1142380291.jpg|width="100" height="100" alt=""|_##]Suspended Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rich Tocchet won't serve any jail time for his role in an illegal sports gambling ring. The former National Hockey League forward was sentenced to two...
New York Commercial Litigation Law Firm - Woods Lonergan PLLC
Founded in 1993 by Managing Partner James F. Woods, Woods Lonergan PLLC has built a strong reputation as a resourceful and industrious firm that provides clients with clear, concise, and straightforward answers to their most challenging legal issues. Partner Lawrence R. Lonergan, who joined the firm in 2008, has been a friend and colleague to Mr. Woods for over 40 years and shares the same business philosophy. Woods Lonergan PLLC’s collective experience and expertise enables the firm to expeditiously and effectively analyze the increasing challenges clients face in an evolving business and legal world, in many instances, avoiding unnecessary time and expense to our clients. Our mission is simple: provide cutting-edge expertise and sound advice in select areas of the law for corporate and business clients. We thrive on providing each client with personalized attention, forceful representation, and a collaborative team effort that embraces collective knowledge.