Louis Vuitton Cracks Down on Google | Company Sues Over Counterfeit Search Results

Posted on: Mar 19

Major design house Louis Vuitton has proven itself as a worthy opponent when it comes to protecting its well-established name. With various lawsuits involving eBay and Britney Spears, the company has vehemently defended its sophisticated image.

What's upsetting them now? They're annoyed with the result pages that show up when you look up their name on the search-engine giant Google. According to Louis Vuitton, a search for their brand name should only result in authentic products and not other retailers that sell counterfeits and knock-offs.

They are fighting the fact that Google sells keywords to whoever offers the most money ... not the brand that owns the licensing rights to the name. On the other side of the coin, Google argues that the number of clicks is the determining factor for them.

"Google makes money not by reason of the nature of the keyword, but by someone clicking on the keyword," Google lawyer Alexandra Neri argued - seemingly placing the responsibility with the user. "The decision to click or not to click belongs to whom? Clearly to the internet user."

You can make your own judgment on the matter, but what I know for sure is that Louis Vuitton is very aggressive in protecting their brand name

[Source: Vogue UK]
[Image: d'n'c/Flickr]