Google today entered the latest stage in a four-year legal battle against luxury brand Louis Vuitton which accuses the US internet giant of selling trademark search terms relating to its products to rivals.Google’s lawyers are at the European Court of Justice today as part of a hearing relating to an appeal the search company lodged after LVMH won a case in France against Google in 2005.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/17/google-louis-vuitton-legal-battleGoogle in court over Vuitton row
Lawyers for Google are to appear in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in a row over its use of trademarks.LVMH, the company behind Louis Vuitton luggage and other brands, has accused Google of selling search words such as “vuitton” to the highest bidder.Web users searching for its products will see adverts for rivals or firms selling counterfeit goods, LVMH argues.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7947864.stmGoogle, LVMH Clash Over Keyword Rights at EU Court
Louis Vuitton told the European Union’s highest court that Google Inc. doesn’t have the right to sell trademark-protected names to advertisers that trigger “sponsored links” when the name is used in an Internet search.Google, owner of the world’s most-used Internet search engine, and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA have been locked in a six-year fight over Internet searches that link users to sites selling counterfeit fashion accessories. Google is appealing a 2006 ruling by a Paris court that it breached Louis Vuitton’s trademark rights.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aOBW4hX8zVOs
Google/Louis Vuitton legal battle resumes
Lawyers for Google are to appear in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in a row over its use of trademarks.