Search giant Google reported today that it had prevailed in a trademark suit against couturier Louis Vuitton, which had sued Google in French court over the use of its trademarks in advertisements by rival firms.
The European Court of Justice, Google said, ruled that the company "has not infringed trademark law by allowing advertisers to bid for keywords corresponding to their competitors’ trademarks. It also confirmed that [the] European law [which] protects internet hosting services applies to Google’s AdWords advertising system. This is important because it is a fundamental principle behind the free flow of information over the internet."
Search Engine Land reported that, as important as the victory over Louis Vuitton is for the company and its revenues, its sheer size means that it will continue to be embroiled in legal controversy in various court systems for the foreseeable future.
Experts say that a loss in any one of the numerous court cases Google is currently fighting could have serious implications for the practice of search engine optimization (SEO).
