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ARTICLE · 15 FEBRUARY 2005

Google Win Key Battle in Search Term War

Pinsent Masons
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Google recently won a key legal battle in the war ranging over the practice of selling competitors registered trade marks as search terms on its world famous search engine. However, the war is most definitely not over yet and this may be the opening salvo in a protracted dispute.

United KingdomAntitrust/Competition Law
Lindsey Wrenn
Lindsey Wrenn
Lee Curtis
Lee Curtis

Originally published January 2005

Google recently won a key legal battle in the war ranging over the practice of selling competitors registered trade marks as search terms on its world famous search engine. However, the war is most definitely not over yet and this may be the opening salvo in a protracted dispute.

Leading US auto-insurance company Geico bought an action of trade mark infringement and unfair competition against Google through the US Courts, on the basis that Google had sold Geico's registered trade marks as search terms to Geico's competitors. Therefore, if you were to place the word Geico, for example, in a Google search you would often be diverted to sponsored listings of Geico's competitors. Geico alleged that such a practice confused consumers and diverted trade away from it and towards its competitors.

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