Brand owners are likely to be unimpressed by Google’s latest update to its AdWords program, which gives purchasers of third party trademarks increased prominence for their ads. The change, which is already in operation, means “organic” search results will be pushed further out of view by sponsored ads, whose format now looks like some categories [...]
Posts Tagged ‘AdWords’
Google Increases Ad Prominence For Sellers Using Third Party Trademarks
September 6th, 2011 
Gareth Dickson 
Posted in North America, social media, trademarks, vront 
Tags: AdWords, Google, Internet, trade marks, trademarks 
No Comments »
New York Becomes Latest Court To Rule Against Use of Trademarks in AdWords
August 27th, 2011 Gareth Dickson A District Court in New York has become the latest to find that using a competitor’s trademark in Google’s AdWords program can be trademark infringement. District Judge Roslynn R. Mauskopf found that the Defendants’ selection of “PILLOW PETS” and similar marks as a trigger for Google Ads is likely an infringement of the Plaintiff’s registered trademarks [...]
Posted in North America, social media, trademarks, vront Tags: AdWords, copyright, false advertising, Google, Internet, New York, second circuit, trade marks, trademarks, US No Comments »
New Microsoft ad strategy more aggressive than Google’s?
August 5th, 2011 Gareth Dickson Microsoft has recently tested a new system of advertising whereby ads are not placed on top of the organic search results, nor to the side, nor on a colored background, but actually within the list of organic results. Is this a smart move? Will Microsoft find itself on the end of a (meritorious) lawsuit for [...]
Posted in North America, social media, trademarks, UK and Europe, vront Tags: AdSense, AdWords, ECJ, Europe, Google, Internet, trade marks, trademarks, UK, unfair business practices 1 Comment »
Google AdWords Takes A Hit: E-Commerce Safe Harbour MIA
July 31st, 2011 Gareth Dickson While the Wall Street Journal (initially, at any rate) declared outright victory for Google’s AdWords service after the Court of Justice of the European Union (“ECJ” or “CJEU”) ruled that the sale of keywords to advertisers did not constitute “use” of those keywords within the meaning of the Trade Marks Directive (89/104/EEC), most of us [...]
Posted in social media, trademarks, UK and Europe, vront Tags: AdWords, ECJ, Europe, false advertising, Google, Internet, trade marks, trademarks, unfair business practices 2 Comments »California Court finds AdWord ad creates likelihood of confusion
February 22nd, 2011 Gareth Dickson In his January 25, 2011 decision in the Central District of California, District Court Judge George H. King held that the targeted use of a third party’s trademark in a Google AdWord advertising campaign can constitute trademark infringement and can also leave advertisers open to an award of enhanced damages, attorneys fees and costs. (Binder [...]
Posted in North America, social media, trademarks, vront Tags: AdWords, damages, false advertising, Google, Internet, trade marks, trademarks, US 1 Comment »Comments on keywords
August 18th, 2010 Gareth Dickson I’ve been enjoying some discussion with another AdWords specialist (Austrotrabant) over Google’s recent policy changes and the meaning of the CJEU’s Google France and subsequent decisions. Please go on over to http://austrotrabant.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/google-adwords-tm-policy-use-of-the-trademark-also-permitten-in-the-ad-text-of-ads-in-europe/ to have a look. In the meantime, I’ve posted my comments below as they are fairly self-contained and might be of interest. I’ll [...]
Posted in social media, trademarks, UK and Europe Tags: AdWords, confusion, ECJ, Europe, Google, Internet, trade marks, trademarks No Comments »Google abandons AdWords Keyword “Suggestion” Tool
July 27th, 2010 Gareth Dickson Google has put an end to its controversial Keyword “Suggestion” Tool after the CJEU ruled that it might not benefit from the exemptions from liability found in the E-Commerce Directive. It also appears to have modified its remaining services to protect the “LOUIS VUITTON” trademark, but continues to allow advertisers to sully other luxury brands [...]
Posted in copyright, social media, trademarks, UK and Europe Tags: AdWords, DMCA, ECJ, Europe, Google, Internet, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, software, trade marks, trademarks, UK, US 1 Comment »Can Recital 42 and Article 14 be reconciled?
July 14th, 2010 Gareth Dickson When the CJEU handed down its decision in Google and Google France vs. Louis Vuitton on March 23, 2010, brand owners were both disappointed and optimistic. Although the Court had held that because Google was not using third parties’ trademarks in its own commercial communications when it was offering them for selection as AdWords (meaning [...]
Posted in copyright, social media, trademarks, UK and Europe Tags: AdSense, AdWords, DMCA, ECJ, Europe, Google, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, trade marks, trademarks, US 1 Comment »Google says sorry after being a little bit evil
May 15th, 2010 Gareth Dickson By the end of April, it was begining to look like Google was turning a corner on what had started out as a potentially difficult year. In Europe, Google was in a high-profile dispute with LVMH, the owner of famous brands such as Moët, Hennessy, Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Christian Dior. If the result went the [...]
Posted in data protection, North America, privacy, UK and Europe Tags: AdWords, ECJ, Google, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, New York, second circuit, UK 1 Comment »Google and LVMH both claim victory in landmark ECJ ruling
March 23rd, 2010 Gareth Dickson Despite this morning’s signing into law of a landmark healthcare bill in Washington, and last night’s news that Google has begun redirecting Chinese surfers to its Hong Kong-based search engine, this morning’s ECJ AdWords ruling has received some prominent media reaction on this side of the Pond (although not half as much as there would [...]
Posted in social media, trademarks, UK and Europe Tags: AdSense, AdWords, ECJ, Europe, Google, Internet, Louis Vuitton, LVMH 2 Comments »
