Google seeks clarification on keyword selling
5 December 2003
Google has requested a court ruling in the US after the search engine received a series of complaints about its system of selling keywords to advertisers.
A number of companies have claimed the scheme leads to trademark infringement.
Google wants the US court to confirm the legality of its keyword-advertising policy.
Online auction company eBay has asked Google to stop advertisers using terms relating to its trademark, in sponsored search results, while designer accessories company Louis Vuitton sued Google for trademark infringement in August and interior decorating specialist, American Blind and Wallpaper Factory is in dispute with the website over a range of terms.
'An actual, present and justiciable controversy has arisen between Google and American Blind concerning Google's right to sell keyword-triggered advertising to its customers,' the filing, placed in a US district court, states.
'Google seeks declaratory judgment from this court that its current policy regarding the sale of keyword-triggered advertising does not constitute trademark infringement.'
The law about keyword triggered advertising in the United States is still unclear about the responsibility of search engines to police trademarks in paid search.
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