Once Again, Google Sued Over Use Of Trademarks In Ads

from the geico-2.0 dept

Reader Mark alerts us that once again, Google is getting sued because it allow companies to buy ads that use another company's trademark. In the US, it's pretty much settled law that there's nothing wrong with this. Geico tried suing the company over this, but it had its case slapped down by the courts. This time, it's the Australian government upset that a popular Australian classifieds site is using the name of certain car dealerships in its ads. Of course, the Geico case doesn't set any precedent for Google in Australia, so it's possible that the law won't be as favorable to the company down under. The government is also making the somewhat bizarre claim that Google doesn't do a good job distinguishing its paid results from its organic listings. It's pretty hard to see how anyone but a moron in a hurry would have a hard time seeing the difference, so it would certainly seem that Australia has an uphill battle going forward on this one.

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