AdWords lawsuit to go to jury selection |
|
|
|
Published
:
Fri, 11 May 2007 23:20
|
NEW YORK (AP) - A federal judge set Nov. 9 as the jury selection date for a trademark infringement lawsuit filed against Google Inc. by American Blind & Wallpaper Factory Inc., American Blind said Friday.The company alleges Google is harming it financially by selling phrases American Blind has trademarked -- like American Blind, and American Blind and Wallpaper Factory -- to competing companies through the AdWords online advertising platform, said David Rammelt, who is a partner at the law firm representing American Blind.As a result, competitors' ads often appear as the top advertisements on Google's search engine when consumers are searching for American Blind, he said.Google could not be immediately reached for comment.The search site operator's AdWords advertising program lets businesses make ads with keywords that appear alongside related search results.The alleged infringement has been an issue for the past three-and-a-half years, Rammelt said, costing the company 'millions of dollars.'He said that competitors' ads are usually, but not always, the top AdWords results for searches for American Blind-trademarked phrases.'The results can change by the minute and the hour and the day,' Rammelt said.He said the company has also bid on its own trademarks through AdWords to keep up.American Blind, which is privately held and based in Plymouth, Mich., said the trial will occur in San Jose, Calif., and will be presided over by Judge Jeremy Fogel.Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
|
|
|
|
Print this Story
Aerospace and transportation highlights to 15:40 GMT 