Louis Vuitton’s case against Google has come to a close, with the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruling in favor of the internet search engine.
The ruling states that Google has not violated trademark law by selling brand-name keywords to the design house’s competitors. But it’s not all good news for the internet search engine.
New restrictions state that brand name keywords cannot be used to promote businesses associated with counterfeit products. This could have major ramifications for Google and its AdWords advertisers.
“While these rulings improve Google’s legal position against trademark owners, the news isn’t uniformly good for the keyword advertising industry,” explained Eric Goldman, an Associate Professor of Law at Santa Clara University School of Law. “The opinion identifies a number of potential legal pitfalls for keyword advertisers.“
While Google has avoided paying Louis Vuitton now, the ruling may still see the brand take a hit. It’s predicted the search engine’s revenue will decrease with advertisers more concerned than ever about their legal exposure.
The case may be over, but I predict we’ll be talking about the fallout of this ruling for some time to come.
[Image Source: Carlos Luna/Flickr]
