French court fines Google over trade marked keywords
A French court has fined search engine giant Google €350,000 and said that its search advertising business has infringed on two companies' trade marks.
Google allows anyone to pay to have their adverts appear beside certain words. Trade mark holders have argued that allowing other people to buy an association with their brands constitutes trade mark infringement.
French courts have previously agreed, upholding complaints by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy and Meridien Hotels that their trade marks were infringed by the system.
Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris has ordered Google to pay €200,000 to Voyageurs du Monde (Travellers of the World) and €150,000 to Terres d'Aventure (Lands of Adventure), despite the judge saying that the commercial harm to the companies was marginal.
The company has also been ordered to pay €60,000 in costs.
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