Google Victory In American Blinds Settlement Over Trademark-Triggered Search Ads

By Danny Sullivan

Published: September 3, 2007 at 3:04 pm

One of the oldest outstanding trademark-infringement lawsuits filed against Google
over search ads — that by American Blinds & Wallpaper — has been settled in
what I’d agree with legal analyst Eric Goldman in

calling a stunning victory for Google. Google has to pay nothing and change
nothing to see the case disappear.

Eric has

posted the eight-page settlement
here (PDF format). It provides that
American Blinds will not seek to sue Google as long as it maintains its existing

policy that bars trademarks from ad copy. Eric also notes that American Blinds previously
has
had to pay Google $15,000 over concerns about evidence discovery and
destruction.

What about all those other cases over the years? See my freshly-minted post,
Paid Search Ads &
Trademarks: A Review Of Court Cases, Legal Disputes & Policies that fills you in.

Explore more on

Eric Goldman Google Lawsuit Online advertising Trademark infringement

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Contributing authors are chosen for their expertise and work under the oversight of the editorial staff. Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush. The contributor was not asked to mention Semrush; the opinions expressed are their own.

About the author

Danny Sullivan

Danny Sullivan was a journalist and analyst who covered the digital and search marketing space from 1996 through 2017. He was also a cofounder of Third Door Media, which publishes Search Engine Land and MarTech, and produces the SMX: Search Marketing Expo and MarTech events. He retired from journalism and Third Door Media in June 2017. You can learn more about him on his personal site & blog He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.