Volume VIII

Issue : 10: May 13, 2010

• Lawsuit Claims Apple iPad Infringes Nokia Patents
• Craigslist Under Investigation for Sex Ads
• U.S. Consumer Groups Say Proposed Privacy Bill is Flawed
• Canadas Stalled Copyright Reform Alleged to Blame for Global Music Piracy
• Court Finds that a Public Library May Filter Internet Access for All Patrons
• Rosetta Stones Keyword Trademark Case Against Google Dismissed
• CIRA Domain Name Decision: shopnchek.ca

Home > Volume VIII > Issue 10: May 13, 2010 > Rosetta Stones Keyword Trademark Case Against Google Dismissed

Rosetta Stones Keyword Trademark Case Against Google Dismissed

On April 29, 2010, Rosetta Stone Inc., makers of the popular foreign language training software, announced it had lost its trademark infringement suit against Google Inc., which alleged that use of its trademarks in Google’s AdWords system permitted counterfeit goods to be sold, from which Google profited. Decisions in the case are not yet released. The result follows a similar ruling by the European Court of Justice last month, in which Louis Vuitton was unsuccessful in a similar claim against Google. As in Europe, it appears that U.S. courts take the position that Google does not infringe trademark rights by allowing advertisers to buy keywords corresponding to registered trademarks. However, this does not necessarily mean that the advertisers are not infringing if they misrepresent the origin of the goods in the linked advertising.

For the Rosetta Stone Inc. press release, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/25dfzut

For additional information, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/2aguxh5

For commentary on the Louis Vuitton case against Google, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/ya8aooe