Google loses Vuitton trademark dispute
9 February 2005
Google is looking into appealing against a decision by a Paris court to award luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton $260,000 plus costs for breach of trademark.
The high court in central Paris awarded the damages in a decision last week and ordered Google to stop displaying advertisements for Vuitton's rivals when users typed in the firm's name to its search engine.
Google France spokeswoman Myriam Boublil reportedly said: "We're studying the ruling. No decision's been taken yet on an appeal." Vuitton's parent company, luxury giant LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton has welcomed the ruling.
The blow to Google's AdWords service will be keenly watched across the globe and the negative rulings could hamper the company's advertising practices. The AdWords programme enables companies to buy advertising linked to search keywords, including rivals' trademarks.
The court ruled that Google was guilty of false publicity and counterfeiting, upholding complaints by Vuitton that internet users searching for the fashion designer were also shown ads for companies selling forgeries. The ruling against Google applies to all its sites, not just the Google.fr page.
In October 2003, a court in Nanterre, France, fined Google for violating the trademark of online tour operator Bourse des Vols. Google is still appealing that decision and is now defending itself against another challenge filed last year by Paris-based insurer AXA, while Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts won a similar lawsuit against Google's AdWords policy in December.
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