Somewhat predictably, a dispute between two law firms over the permissibility of an internet ad has resulted in a civil lawsuit, with the firm of Habush, Habush, and Rottier filing their suit against Cannon and Dunphy earlier this week.
Habush alleges that the sponsored links for Cannon and Dunphy which appear next to search results for various iterations of the terms "Habush" and "Rottier" are part of a deliberately deceptive advertising campaign by its competitor using Google’s AdWords service. Cannon and Dunphy responded publicly that they are using a perfectly legal business strategy by bidding on AdWords properties, and that Habush was simply outbid by its rivals.
Search engine optimization (SEO) professionals, while not directly affected by the case, should recognize that the suit will likely become part of the small but growing body of law governing online marketing, and that the knock-on effects on trademark and advertising law could be far-reaching.
The two firms, which both focus on personal injury law, are bitter rivals in the state of Wisconsin, located mere miles apart in the Milwaukee area.
